Automatons, Hugo and Cabinets of Curiosities

Here is a great link for automatons: http://www.worldsstrangest.com/drb/amazing-automatons-ancient-robots-victorian-androids/

Welcome to my new follower! We hope you find our museum entertaining. We have other blogs that mention dolls, too, including one called Doll Museum, a chronological history of dolls dating from the Stone Age.

I am back. Combination of bad hand and a bad flu that no flu shot apparently can quell. I almost think it was the plague.

I am reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and just saw Hugo. I also bought the movie companion, also by Brian Selznick. Since I wrote my book on metal doll and automatons, and my doll bibliography, I have found many good sources for androids and mechanical figures. I will have to think about second editions, soon. Here are some photos of automatons that write, including the original Maillardet writing figure that Hugo is based on, in part. There are also figures by Jaquet-Droz. I am glad they have a home at The Franklin Institute. I saw them first in Clara Hallard Fawcett's 1964 classic, Dolls, a New Guide for Collectors.

There is also the automaton made for Marie Antoinette, 1722. You can watch a vido on the site I've linked to. Thanks to Simon Rose for the article. There are also good photos and drawings of medieval efforts and mention of Leonardo Da Vinci's robot, 1495.

I especially like the picture of the 16th c. Lute player. She is an old friend, mentioned first in my dear Mary Hillier's Dolls and Doll Makers.

Cabinets of Curiosites is a wonderful book by Patric Maruies that chronicles the history of collecting, and curios or cabinets of curiosties, nearly from the dawn of time. He includes more modern collectors like Andre Breton and Joseph Cornell, as well as photos of objects form famous 15th and 16th century collection. He discusses how the first collections of this type were religious in nature with a desire to harvest the powers of the sacred objects gathered. He goes to write about collecting as ways of perserving histories, of bringing order out of chaos, of great collections representing a microcosm of the world so we can observe and understand.

Most of these collections are not museums. They are the work of private collectors, many royal, some not, all fairly wealthy. Some were open to public viewing, but all reflect a passion. There are descriptions of collections organzied to reflect the natural world with shells, fauna, fossils, and taxidermy, and the artistic world with intricate silver automata, miniature objects, books, paintings, and sculptures.

Anyone who loves to collect needs to see this book. It is a positive view at collecting and preserving the past. Fans of Hoarders, don't bother!