Have you ever seen an automaton figure that can reliably write poems or draw intricate pictures on command? If so, you may well have been viewing one of the astonishing creations of Henri Maillardet – an innovator at the cutting edge of automaton technology in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Overview – Maillardet‘s Place in Automaton History
Maillardet built on the work of pioneers like Jacques de Vaucanson to push the complexity and capabilities of automatons far beyond what many thought possible. As historian Alfred Chapuis notes:
"Around 1800, Maillardet created the most perfect automaton of the period, the ‘Draftsman-Writer‘ which executed four superb drawings and wrote three poems, one in English and two in French, by means of an extremely complicated mechanism." (1)
The level of sophistication and miniaturization Maillardet achieved remains remarkable even today. Let‘s explore some of his most famous creations and the mechanical genius that animated them.
Key Creations
The Draughtsman-Writer
Undoubtedly Maillardet‘s most stunning achievement, this automaton depicts a boy figure at a desk. Through a system of cams and rods in the base containing nearly 300,000 data points, it can produce four high quality drawings and three handwritten poems on command.
Complexity Level:
- Data storage: 299040 points
- Equivalent to ~300 kbits of storage
- Far beyond any automaton of the era
This remains the largest "memory" of any automaton ever made. The combination of vast data capacity and precise execution of drawings and writing was an astonishing feat for the period.
Automatons Created for Jaquet-Droz
Early in his career, Maillardet collaborated with the famed Jaquet-Droz family on some of their signature automatons. These included:
The Writer
- Humanoid figure that could write up to 40 characters via programmable cams
- Still functions today at the Musée d’art et d’histoire de Neuchâtel
The Artist
- Figure that could reliably produce four drawings stored via program
- Also still functioning over 200 years later
Historian Sir David Brewster praised these works in 1832 for the "ingenuity and mechanical skill necessary for combining so great a number of movements…" (2)
Animal Automatons
Later in his career, Maillardet created a number of charming animal automatons, including:
| Name | Details |
|---|---|
| Siberian Mouse | Pearl, gold and enamel mouse that sniffs the air and skitters about |
| Ethiopian Caterpillar | Gold caterpillar made of 11 segments that crawls via cam system |
| Egyptian Lizard | Jeweled gold lizard whose feet vibrate to produce extremely realistic motion |
While simpler than the Draughtsman-Writer, these automatons charmed audiences with their smooth, naturalistic movements. The precision machining behind them is still impressive.
Later Showman Years
After 1815, Maillardet travelled Britain and Ireland exhibiting his automatons to popular acclaim. He astounded crowds with creations like his Musical Lady, Fortune Teller and Singing Bird. This allowed him to mesmerize common folk with the wonders of automation as well as entertain elites.
Unfortunately, Maillardet‘s finances suffered in his later years. But the remarkable innovations he pioneered, many still functioning today, cement his legacy as one of the most skilled and creative automaton artisans history has seen.
Sources
(1) Chapuis, Alfred, and Edouard Gelis. “Automata: A Historical and Technological Study”. (2) Brewster, David. “Letters on Natural Magic”.
