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113-455: Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin ( French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ øʒɛn ʁɔbɛʁ udɛ̃] ; 7 December 1805 – 13 June 1871) was a French watchmaker , magician and illusionist , widely recognized as the father of the modern style of conjuring . He transformed magic from a pastime for the lower classes, seen at fairs, to an entertainment for the wealthy, which he offered in a theatre opened in Paris ,

226-584: A Paduan engineer in 1420, developed Bellicorum instrumentorum liber which includes a puppet of a camelid driven by a clothed primate twice the height of a human being and an automaton of Mary Magdalene. He also created mechanical devils and rocket-propelled animal automata. While functional, early clocks were also often designed as novelties and spectacles which integrated features of automata. Many big and complex clocks with automated figures were built as public spectacles in European town centres . One of

339-748: A guild , such as the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers in London, before selling their first watch. In modern times, watchmakers undergo training courses such as the ones offered by the BHI , or one of the many other schools around the world following the WOSTEP style curriculum. Some US watchmaking schools of horology will teach not only the Wostep style, including the ETA range of movements, but also focus on

452-461: A linkage which makes a servant figure appear from behind a door under the peacock and offer soap. When more water is used, a second float at a higher level trips and causes the appearance of a second servant figure—with a towel!" Al-Jazari thus appears to have been the first inventor to display an interest in creating human-like machines for practical purposes such as manipulating the environment for human comfort. Lamia Balafrej has also pointed out

565-643: A mechanical computer and driven by wind power. Automaton clocks are clocks which feature automatons within or around the housing and typically activate around the beginning of each hour, at each half hour, or at each quarter hour. They were largely produced from the 1st century BC to the end of the Victorian times in Europe. Older clocks typically featured religious characters or other mythical characters such as Death or Father Time. As time progressed, however, automaton clocks began to feature influential characters at

678-606: A European soldier being mauled by a tiger. Catherine the Great of Russia was gifted a very large and elaborate Peacock Clock created by James Cox in 1781 now on display in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg . According to philosopher Michel Foucault , Frederick the Great , king of Prussia from 1740 to 1786, was "obsessed" with automata. According to Manuel de Landa , "he put together his armies as

791-399: A Parisian watchmaker, Jacques-François Houdin, who also originally came from Blois. Jean-Eugène fell in love with her at their first meeting. On 8 July 1830, they were married; he then hyphenated his own name to hers and became Robert-Houdin. He and Josèphe had eight children, of whom three survived. He moved to Paris and worked in his father-in-law's wholesale shop. Jacques-François was among

904-481: A celebration hosted by Ludovico Sforza at the court of Milan around 1495. The design of Leonardo's robot was not rediscovered until the 1950s. A functional replica was later built that could move its arms, twist its head, and sit up. Da Vinci is frequently credited with constructing a mechanical lion , which he presented to King Francois I in Lyon in 1515. Although no record of the device's original designs remain,

1017-414: A connection with Archimedes . According to Jewish legend , King Solomon used his wisdom to design a throne with mechanical animals which hailed him as king when he ascended it; upon sitting down an eagle would place a crown upon his head, and a dove would bring him a Torah scroll. It is also said that when King Solomon stepped upon the throne, a mechanism was set in motion. As soon as he stepped upon

1130-520: A cunning manner that at one moment it was down on the ground, while at another it rose higher and was to be seen up in the air." Similar automata in the throne room (singing birds, roaring and moving lions) were described by Luitprand's contemporary the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus , in his book De Ceremoniis (Perì tês Basileíou Tákseōs). In the mid-8th century, the first wind powered automata were built: "statues that turned with

1243-472: A drawing titled How to make an angel keep pointing his finger toward the Sun with an angel that would perpetually turn to face the sun. He also drew an automaton of a bird with jointed wings, which led to their design implementation in clocks. At the end of the thirteenth century, Robert II, Count of Artois , built a pleasure garden at his castle at Hesdin that incorporated several automata as entertainment in

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1356-468: A few of them. When Robert-Houdin first opened his theatre, it was sparsely attended and he realized that he needed something more extraordinary that would bring the public to his theatre. So he came upon the idea of doing a two-person mind-reading act, concocting a silly story about how his son Émile had created a game of hot and cold that resulted in Robert-Houdin using it for the stage. He named

1469-483: A game of chess when Franklin was ambassador to France. The Turk was actually operated from inside by a hidden human director, and was not a true automaton. Other 18th century automaton makers include the prolific Swiss Pierre Jaquet-Droz (see Jaquet-Droz automata ) and his son Henri-Louis Jaquet-Droz, and his contemporary Henri Maillardet . Maillardet, a Swiss mechanic, created an automaton capable of drawing four pictures and writing three poems. Maillardet's Automaton

1582-469: A glass of water into his son's hands, and Émile proceeded to drink from it. He was able to perceive the taste of the liquids that spectators from the audience merely thought of. Even then, the audiences were not entirely convinced; they tried to trip up Émile by bringing in books written in Greek, or odd tools such as a thread counter. During Robert-Houdin's time, all of Paris was enthusiastically talking about

1695-518: A golden age during the Edo period (1603–1867). A new attitude towards automata is to be found in René Descartes when he suggested that the bodies of animals are nothing more than complex machines – the bones, muscles and organs could be replaced with cogs , pistons , and cams . Thus mechanism became the standard to which Nature and the organism was compared. France in the 17th century

1808-541: A legacy preserved by the tradition of modern magicians performing in tails. Robert-Houdin was born Jean-Eugène Robert in Blois , France, on 7 December 1805—a day after his autobiography said he was. His father, Prosper Robert, was a watchmaker in Blois. Jean-Eugene's mother, the former Marie-Catherine Guillon, died when he was just a young child. At the age of eleven, Prosper sent his son Jean-Eugène to school thirty-five miles up

1921-420: A live human being. The artificer touched its chin, and it began singing, perfectly in tune. He touched its hand, and it began posturing, keeping perfect time...As the performance was drawing to an end, the robot winked its eye and made advances to the ladies in attendance, whereupon the king became incensed and would have had Yen Shih [Yan Shi] executed on the spot had not the latter, in mortal fear, instantly taken

2034-476: A major turning point in his life came when he became apprenticed to the magician Edmund De Grisi, Count's son and better known as Torrini. What is known is that his early performing came from joining an amateur acting troupe. He performed at social parties as a professional magician in Europe and the United States. It was during this period while at a party that he met Josèphe Cecile Houdin, the daughter of

2147-567: A modern training certificate from one of several reputable schools; having a workshop environment that meets Rolex's standards for cleanliness; using modern equipment; and being a member of the American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute . The Omega brand has the same approach. However, the vast majority of modern Swiss brands do not sell parts to independent watchmakers, irrespective of the watchmaker's expertise, training or credentials. This industry policy

2260-408: A nervous breakdown. He closed the theatre and had every intention to close it for good, until a friend agreed that the venture was a silly idea. Instead of admitting defeat, Robert-Houdin, irked at the friend's effrontery, used this insult to regain his courage, and persevered in giving the show a long run at his little theatre. Although the forty-year-old magician was unpolished at first, he soon gained

2373-463: A peacock that walked and ate. Athanasius Kircher produced many automata to create Jesuit shows, including a statue which spoke and listened via a speaking tube . The world's first successfully-built biomechanical automaton is considered to be The Flute Player , which could play twelve songs, created by the French engineer Jacques de Vaucanson in 1737. He also constructed The Tambourine Player and

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2486-414: A picture of a cartoon of two cooks fighting with pots. This was followed by three enormous copper pots. One was filled with beans, another with flames bursting forth, and the third pot was filled with boiling water. As an afterthought, he lifted the top flap of the portfolio and pulled out a large cage filled with birds. He walked forward towards the audience with the square cage, and they applauded thinking

2599-404: A programmable drum machine with pegs ( cams ) that bump into little levers that operate the percussion . The drummer could be made to play different rhythms and drum patterns if the pegs were moved around. Al-Jazari constructed a hand washing automaton first employing the flush mechanism now used in modern toilets . It features a female automaton standing by a basin filled with water. When

2712-562: A recreation of this piece is housed at the Château du Clos Lucé . The Smithsonian Institution has in its collection a clockwork monk, about 15 in (380 mm) high, possibly dating as early as 1560. The monk is driven by a key-wound spring and walks the path of a square, striking his chest with his right arm, while raising and lowering a small wooden cross and rosary in his left hand, turning and nodding his head, rolling his eyes, and mouthing silent obsequies. From time to time, he brings

2825-410: A sensation and brought the throng to see his shows. Eventually, Robert-Houdin changed the method, so instead of asking his son what was in his hands, he simply rang a bell. This stunned those that suspected a spoken code. He would even set the bell off to the side and remain silent, and his son still described every object handed to his father. Robert-Houdin made the test even more difficult. He placed

2938-438: A series of lessons from a man named Maous from Blois who was a podiatrist but also entertained at fairs and parties doing magic. He was proficient at sleight of hand, and taught Robert-Houdin how to juggle to improve his hand-eye coordination. He also taught him rudiments of the cups and balls. He told young Robert-Houdin that digital dexterity came with repetition, and as a direct result, Robert-Houdin practiced incessantly. Magic

3051-515: A silver and golden tree in his palace in Baghdad , which had the features of an automatic machine. There were metal birds that sang automatically on the swinging branches of this tree built by Muslim inventors and engineers . The Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadir also had a silver and golden tree in his palace in Baghdad in 917, with birds on it flapping their wings and singing. In the 9th century,

3164-586: A special presentation for several chief men of their tribe. He was invited to the home of the head of the tribe of the desert interior, Bou-Allem. In dawn of the Arab desert, Robert-Houdin was challenged to do a special trick. He obliged by inviting one of the rebels to shoot at him with a marked bullet, which he caught between his teeth. He was given a certificate from Bou-Allem, who wore a red robe symbolizing his loyalty to France. With this scroll praising his mysterious manifestations, Robert-Houdin went back to France with

3277-443: A type of finite automaton . Automaton clocks being finite essentially means that automaton clocks have a certain number of states in which they can exist. The exact number is the number of combinations possible on a clock with the hour, minute, and second hand: 43,200. The title of timed automaton declares that the automaton changes states at a set rate, which for clocks is 1 state change every second. Clock automata only takes as input

3390-442: A watchmaking degree or certificate, but are specifically trained 'in-house' as technicians to service a small number of components of the watch in a true 'assembly-line' fashion, (e.g., one type of worker will dismantle the watch movement from the case, another will polish the case and bracelet, another will install the dial and hands, etc.). If genuine watchmakers are employed in such environments, they are usually employed to service

3503-501: A week. Much to his dismay, he found out that Compars Herrmann beat him to the territory. Not only was he billing himself as "the Premier Prestidigitateur of France", but he was also using pirated versions of his illusions. Despite this, Robert-Houdin still accomplished a success there. So much so, in 1848, he did a command performance for Queen Victoria. After a three-month tour of England, he went back home after about

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3616-650: A well-oiled clockwork mechanism whose components were robot-like warriors". In 1801, Joseph Jacquard built his loom automaton that was controlled autonomously with punched cards. Automata, particularly watches and clocks, were popular in China during the 18th and 19th centuries, and items were produced for the Chinese market. Strong interest by Chinese collectors in the 21st century brought many interesting items to market where they have had dramatic realizations. The famous magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805–1871)

3729-418: A woman ten years younger, who soon took over the household. Robert-Houdin loved to watch the big magic shows that came to Paris. He dreamed about some day opening his own theatre. In the meantime, he was hired by a friend by the name of Count de l'Escalopier to perform at private parties. Now that he had free time, he began constructing equipment for his own use instead of selling it to others. The income from

3842-410: A wooden bench. His youngest son Eugène stood on the middle one. With the instructions from his father, he extended his arms. Robert-Houdin placed two canes on top of the stools and positioned them under his son's arms. He took a vial of ether and opened it. The audience smelled it wafting through the theatre. He placed the vial under his son's nose, and he went limp. In reality, the vial was empty, with

3955-406: A wooden box was brought forth by one of his assistants. The audience noticed that the tree was barren of any blossoms or fruit. The blue flame from the vial was placed underneath it. The vapors from it caused the leaves to spread and sprout orange blossoms from it. Robert-Houdin then picked up his magic wand and waved it. The flowers disappeared and oranges bloomed forth. He plucked the oranges from

4068-524: A year and a half away. He reopened the theatre and became a permanent fixture in Paris. In 1850, he handed the Palais Royal to his brother-in-law Hamilton (Pierre Etienne Chocat). This left him free to tour France. He did so for two years. Then he went to Germany and on a return engagement to England, where he ended up performing a second time for Queen Victoria. He did a brief tour of France and then, at

4181-425: Is a description of a much earlier encounter between King Mu of Zhou (1023–957 BCE) and a mechanical engineer known as Yan Shi, an 'artificer'. The latter proudly presented the king with a very realistic and detailed life-size, human-shaped figure of his mechanical handiwork: The king stared at the figure in astonishment. It walked with rapid strides, moving its head up and down, so that anyone would have taken it for

4294-633: Is now part of the collections at the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia . Belgian-born John Joseph Merlin created the mechanism of the Silver Swan automaton, now at Bowes Museum . A musical elephant made by the French clockmaker Hubert Martinet in 1774 is one of the highlights of Waddesdon Manor . Tipu's Tiger is another late-18th century example of automata, made for Tipu Sultan , featuring

4407-552: Is the Antikythera mechanism , the earliest known analog computer . The clockwork is thought to have come originally from Rhodes , where there was apparently a tradition of mechanical engineering; the island was renowned for its automata; to quote Pindar 's seventh Olympic Ode : However, the information gleaned from recent scans of the fragments indicate that it may have come from the colonies of Corinth in Sicily and implies

4520-636: Is the first documented description of how a mechanical cuckoo works, a mechanical organ with several automated figures is described. In 18th-century Germany, clockmakers began making cuckoo clocks for sale. Clock shops selling cuckoo clocks became commonplace in the Black Forest region by the middle of the 18th century. Japan adopted clockwork automata in the early 17th century as " karakuri " puppets. In 1662, Takeda Omi completed his first butai karakuri and then built several of these large puppets for theatrical exhibitions. Karakuri puppets went through

4633-483: Is the latinization of the Ancient Greek automaton ( αὐτόματον ), which means "acting of one's own will". It was first used by Homer to describe an automatic door opening, or automatic movement of wheeled tripods. It is more often used to describe non-electronic moving machines, especially those that have been made to resemble human or animal actions, such as the jacks on old public striking clocks , or

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4746-487: Is thought to enable Swiss manufacturers to maintain tighter quality control of the after-sales service for its watch brands, produce high margins on after sales services (two to four times what an independent watchmaker would ask), and to reduce the availability of second-hand watchmaking parts on the used and fake market. Historically, in England, watchmakers would have to undergo a seven-year apprenticeship and then join

4859-750: The Han Fei Zi and other texts. The manufacturing tradition of automata continued in the Greek world well into the Middle Ages. On his visit to Constantinople in 949 ambassador Liutprand of Cremona described automata in the emperor Theophilos ' palace, including "lions, made either of bronze or wood covered with gold, which struck the ground with their tails and roared with open mouth and quivering tongue," "a tree of gilded bronze, its branches filled with birds, likewise made of bronze gilded over, and these emitted cries appropriate to their species" and "the emperor's throne" itself, which "was made in such

4972-599: The Digesting Duck , a mechanical duck that – apart from quacking and flapping its wings – gave the false illusion of eating and defecating, seeming to endorse Cartesian ideas that animals are no more than machines of flesh. In 1769, a chess-playing machine called the Turk , created by Wolfgang von Kempelen , made the rounds of the courts of Europe purporting to be an automaton. The Turk beat Benjamin Franklin in

5085-572: The Banū Mūsā brothers invented a programmable automatic flute player and which they described in their Book of Ingenious Devices . Al-Jazari described complex programmable humanoid automata amongst other machines he designed and constructed in the Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices in 1206. His automaton was a boat with four automatic musicians that floated on a lake to entertain guests at royal drinking parties. His mechanism had

5198-520: The Greek mathematician Hero of Alexandria (sometimes known as Heron), whose writings on hydraulics , pneumatics , and mechanics described siphons , a fire engine , a water organ , the aeolipile , and a programmable cart. Philo of Byzantium was famous for his inventions. Complex mechanical devices are known to have existed in Hellenistic Greece , though the only surviving example

5311-644: The Hellenistic world were intended as tools, toys, religious spectacles, or prototypes for demonstrating basic scientific principles. Numerous water-powered automata were built by Ktesibios , a Greek inventor and the first head of the Great Library of Alexandria ; for example, he "used water to sound a whistle and make a model owl move. He had invented the world's first 'cuckoo clock ' " . This tradition continued in Alexandria with inventors such as

5424-511: The Loire to the University of Orléans . At 18, he graduated and returned to Blois. His father wanted him to be a lawyer, but Robert-Houdin wanted to follow in his father's footsteps as a watchmaker. His penmanship was excellent, and it landed him a job as a clerk for an attorney's office. Instead of studying law, he tinkered with mechanical gadgets. His employer sent him back to his father. He

5537-555: The Ming dynasty founder Hongwu (r. 1368–1398) was destroying the palaces of Khanbaliq belonging to the previous Yuan dynasty , there were—among many other mechanical devices—automata found that were in the shape of tigers. The Renaissance witnessed a considerable revival of interest in automata. Hero's treatises were edited and translated into Latin and Italian. Hydraulic and pneumatic automata, similar to those described by Hero, were created for garden grottoes . Giovanni Fontana ,

5650-527: The Watchmakers are a small technologically intelligent sub-species of the Moties that will repair/improve things left for them (accompanied by food as payment). In the 2015 major motion picture film Survivor directed by James McTeigue , one of the world's most wanted killers is played by Pierce Brosnan , who demonstrates just how devastating the precision skill sets of a watchmaker can be as he plays

5763-555: The cuckoo and any other animated figures on a cuckoo clock . There are many examples of automata in Greek mythology : Hephaestus created automata for his workshop; Talos was an artificial man of bronze; King Alkinous of the Phaiakians employed gold and silver watchdogs. According to Aristotle , Daedalus used quicksilver to make his wooden statue of Aphrodite move. In other Greek legends he used quicksilver to install voice in his moving statues. The automata in

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5876-545: The "Brevet des Métiers d'Art" horology for another two-year course. And optionally, the Diplôme des métiers d'art / DMA Horlogerie (two years). William Paley and others used the watchmaker in his famous analogy to imply the existence of God (the teleological argument ) . Richard Dawkins later applied this analogy in his book The Blind Watchmaker , arguing that evolution is blind in that it cannot look forward. Alan Moore in his graphic novel Watchmen , uses

5989-626: The 15,000 francs to turn his vision into reality. He rented out a suite of rooms above the archways around the gardens of the Palais Royal, which was once owned by Cardinal Richelieu . He hired workmen to redesign the old assembly room into a theatre. They painted it white with gold trim. Tasteful drapes were hung, chic candelabras were placed throughout, and the stage furniture was set in the style of Louis XV . On 3 July 1845, Robert-Houdin premiered his 200-seat Théâtre Robert-Houdin in what he called "Soirées fantastiques". No critics covered Robert-Houdin's debut, and in his memoirs, Robert-Houdin said that

6102-523: The French Army commanders maintained order in the newly pacified region. They supervised local Muslim administrations and the " bureaux arabes ". These areas were closed off to colonization by the Europeans. Napoleon III was worried about religious leaders called Marabouts . The Marabouts were able to control their tribe with their faux magical abilities. They advised their leaders to break ranks with

6215-581: The French. Napoleon wanted Robert-Houdin to show that French magic was stronger. The magical mission began with an informal show at the Bab Azoun Theatre in Algeria, where he would give performances twice weekly. He also gave many special galas before the country's tribal chiefs. He used The Light and Heavy Chest during these performances, but instead of playing it for comedy as he had in Paris, here he played it straight. Robert-Houdin once invited

6328-559: The Palais Royal. The following February, a revolution ended the reign of Louis-Philippe. With it, show business also ended. The Revolution closed all Parisian theatres. Robert-Houdin shut down his theatre and went on the road. He toured the Continent briefly, and then he headed off to Great Britain. With a company of French dramatists, Robert-Houdin made his English debut at the St. James Theatre in London. He presented his programme three times

6441-720: The Pheasant , which was intended to influence the Duke's peers to participate in a crusade against the Ottomans but ended up being a grand display of automata, giants, and dwarves. A banquet in Camilla of Aragon's honor in Italy, 1475, featured a lifelike automated camel. The spectacle was a part of a larger parade which continued over days. Leonardo da Vinci sketched a complex mechanical knight, which he may have built and exhibited at

6554-517: The age of 48, retired from public performances. He gave the theatre back to Hamilton, who continued to fill the little theatre. After Robert-Houdin retired, he devoted himself to his inventions with electricity and his writings. His home, "Le Prieuré" (the Priory), was a marvel in advancement. In 1856, he was asked by Louis-Napoleon to pacify the tribes in French Algeria . During this period,

6667-728: The automaton's lips and fingers move on the flute according to a program recorded on a cylinder similar to those used in player pianos . The automaton was powered by clockwork and could perform 12 different arias. As part of the performance, it would rise from the chair, bow its head, and roll its eyes. The period between 1860 and 1910 is known as "The Golden Age of Automata". Mechanical coin-operated fortune tellers were introduced to boardwalks in Britain and America. In Paris during this period, many small family based companies of automata makers thrived. From their workshops they exported thousands of clockwork automata and mechanical singing birds around

6780-780: The beach. British sculptor Sam Smith (1908–1983) was a well-known maker of automata. In 2016, the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program studied a rover, the Automaton Rover for Extreme Environments , designed to survive for an extended time in Venus' environmental conditions. Unlike other modern automata, AREE is an automaton instead of a robot for practical reasons—Venus's harsh conditions, particularly its surface temperature of 462 °C (864 °F), make operating electronics there for any significant time impossible. It would be controlled by

6893-469: The box.") The Arabian pulled on the handle of the chest, but it would not budge. He tried and tried until he tried to rip it apart. Instead, he screamed in pain, as Robert-Houdin had rigged the box to give the Arabian an electrical shock if he tried to rip the handles off. The Arabian let go of the handle, ran off into the aisle, and ran screaming out of the theatre. After his performances were done, he gave

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7006-447: The case with the spine facing the audience. He removed the expected drawings from it. One of those pictures showed a bareheaded woman. Then, he produced two lady's bonnets decorated with flowers; one for winter, the other for summer. He lowered the flap for each production. Then, he showed a picture of birds, followed by a stuffed bird flat as a pancake. With that, he proceeded to produce from the portfolio four live turtle doves. He showed

7119-402: The confidence required for the stage. With each performance, Robert-Houdin got better, and he began to receive critical acclaim. Le Charivari and L'Illustration both said that his mechanical marvels and artistic magic were comparable to those of his predecessors like Philippe and Bartolomeo Bosco . Even with all of this, still relatively few people would come to the little theatre during

7232-493: The craft of clockmaking for the rest of his life, and is widely credited with inventing the mystery clock . When he got home and opened the wrapping, instead of the Berthoud books, what appeared before his eyes was a two-volume set on magic called Scientific Amusements . Instead of returning the books, his curiosity got the better of him. From those crude volumes, he learned the rudiments of magic. He practiced at all hours of

7345-700: The cross to his lips and kisses it. It is believed that the monk was manufactured by Juanelo Turriano , mechanician to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V . The first description of a modern cuckoo clock was by the Augsburg nobleman Philipp Hainhofer in 1629. The clock belonged to Prince Elector August von Sachsen . By 1650, the workings of mechanical cuckoos were understood and were widely disseminated in Athanasius Kircher 's handbook on music, Musurgia Universalis . In what

7458-437: The day. From that point on, he became very interested in the art. He was upset that the books he got only revealed how the secrets were done but did not show how to do them. He found that learning from the books available in those days was very difficult due to the lack of detailed explanations, but the books piqued his interest in the art. So Robert-Houdin began taking lessons from a local amateur magician. He paid ten francs for

7571-525: The earliest of these large clocks was the Strasbourg astronomical clock , built in the 14th century which takes up the entire side of a cathedral wall. It contained an astronomical calendar, automata depicting animals, saints and the life of Christ. The mechanical rooster of Strasbourg clock was active from 1352 to 1789. The clock still functions to this day, but has undergone several restorations since its initial construction. The Prague astronomical clock

7684-556: The effect of taking away the heart, and found that the mouth could no longer speak; he took away the liver and the eyes could no longer see; he took away the kidneys and the legs lost their power of locomotion. The king was delighted. Other notable examples of automata include Archytas ' dove, mentioned by Aulus Gellius . Similar Chinese accounts of flying automata are written of the 5th century BC Mohist philosopher Mozi and his contemporary Lu Ban , who made artificial wooden birds ( ma yuan ) that could successfully fly according to

7797-475: The egg on the table. Carefully, he picked up the egg. The audience expected him to crack it open and produce the spectator's handkerchief. Instead, he made that disappear too. He told the audience that the egg went to the lemon. This was repeated with the lemon and the orange. When he made the orange disappear, all that was left was a fine powder. This was placed into a silver vial. He soaked this vial with alcohol and set it on fire. A small orange tree planted in

7910-507: The first step, a golden ox and a golden lion each stretched out one foot to support him and help him rise to the next step. On each side, the animals helped the King up until he was comfortably seated upon the throne. In ancient China , a curious account of automata is found in the Lie Zi text, believed to have originated around 400 BCE and compiled around the fourth century CE. Within it there

8023-456: The illusion to the casual observer that they are operating under their own power or will, like a mechanical robot . The term has long been commonly associated with automated puppets that resemble moving humans or animals, built to impress and/or to entertain people. Animatronics are a modern type of automata with electronics , often used for the portrayal of characters or creatures in films and in theme park attractions. The word automaton

8136-492: The illusions after knowing that they were invented by Robert-Houdin. Robert-Houdin's little theatre became a mecca for magic enthusiasts. Herrmann was a constant visitor to the Palais Royal. It became the place for the Paris elite to go. Even King Louis Philippe rented out the room for a private performance. After the triumph he gave at the Royal Palace, in 1847, the king decided to take his entourage to see Robert-Houdin at

8249-636: The imaginary of automation. In 1066, the Chinese inventor Su Song built a water clock in the form of a tower which featured mechanical figurines which chimed the hours. Samarangana Sutradhara , a Sanskrit treatise by Bhoja (11th century), includes a chapter about the construction of mechanical contrivances (automata), including mechanical bees and birds, fountains shaped like humans and animals, and male and female dolls that refilled oil lamps, danced, played instruments, and re-enacted scenes from Hindu mythology. Villard de Honnecourt , in his 1230s sketchbook, depicted an early escapement mechanism in

8362-494: The last of the watchmakers to use the old method of handcrafting each piece and embraced his new son-in-law's ambitions for mechanism. While Houdin worked in the main shop, Jean-Eugène was to tinker with mechanical toys and automatic figures . With his work in the shop, Jean-Eugène was still practicing magic. Quite by accident, Robert-Houdin walked into a shop on the Rue Richelieu and discovered that it sold magic. He visited

8475-548: The metaphor of the watchmaker as a central part of the backstory of his heroic character Dr. Manhattan . In the NBC television series Heroes , the villain Sylar is a watchmaker by trade. His ability to know how watches work corresponds to his ability to gain new superpowers by examining the brains of people he has murdered. In the scifi novel The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven ,

8588-473: The mission accomplished. "The blow was struck", Robert-Houdin said, "...henceforth the interpreters and all those who had dealings with the Arabs received orders to make them understand that my pretended miracles were only the result of skill, inspired and guided by an art called prestidigitation, in no way connected with sorcery". He went on to say, "The Arabs doubtless yielded to these arguments, for henceforth I

8701-546: The moment when, so to speak, it exploded." This brought letters of protest against Robert-Houdin, thinking he was putting his son's health in jeopardy, although the ether had nothing to do with the trick. Robert-Houdin was not the first to perform the Levitation Illusion. The first in Europe was Ching Lau Lauro in the 1830s. The illusion was also reported to be performed by an Indian conjuror before that, but sitting cross-legged rather than lying down. This trick

8814-463: The mysterious uses of " ether ". He took advantage of this by presenting an illusion that appeared to use the pungent liquid. He told the audience that he had discovered a marvelous new property of ether. "If one has a living person inhale this liquid when it is at its highest degree of concentration, the body of the patient for a few moments becomes as light as a balloon," Robert-Houdin claimed. He proceeded to "prove" just that. He placed three stools on

8927-445: The odour being produced by his son Émile pouring real ether on a hot iron shovel. Robert-Houdin took the stool away from his son's feet, and he just hung limp as a rag. He took away one of the canes, so he was dangling by one arm, and carefully placed his head against his upraised hand. This was startling enough. What he did next was stunning. He lifted his boy upright in a horizontal position by his little finger and then let go until he

9040-649: The older watches that a modern watchmaker will encounter on a daily basis. In Denmark the apprenticeship lasts four years, with six terms at the Danish School of Watchmaking in Ringsted . The education covers both clocks and watches, as a watchmaker in Denmark is also a clockmaker. In France, there are three diplomas: the lowest is the Certificat d'aptitude professionnelle (CAP) in horology (in two years), then

9153-462: The prevalence of the figure of the automated slave in al-Jazari's treatise. Automated slaves were a frequent motif in ancient and medieval literature but it was not so common to find them described in a technical book. Balafrej has also written about automated female slaves, which appeared in timekeepers and as liquid-serving devices in medieval Arabic sources, thus suggesting a link between feminized forms of labor like housekeeping, medieval slavery, and

9266-456: The robot to pieces to let him see what it really was. And, indeed, it turned out to be only a construction of leather, wood, glue and lacquer, variously coloured white, black, red and blue. Examining it closely, the king found all the internal organs complete—liver, gall, heart, lungs, spleen, kidneys, stomach and intestines; and over these again, muscles, bones and limbs with their joints, skin, teeth and hair, all of them artificial...The king tried

9379-461: The role of 'Nash,' a professional killer who excels at bomb making and long-range shooting. Automaton An automaton ( / ɔː ˈ t ɒ m ə t ən / ; pl. : automata or automatons ) is a relatively self-operating machine , or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions. Some automata, such as bellstrikers in mechanical clocks, are designed to give

9492-438: The shop and his new inventions gave him enough money to experiment on new tricks using glass apparatus that would be (or at least appear to be) free of trickery. He envisioned a stage that would be as elegant as the drawing rooms in which he was hired to perform. He also decided that a magician should be dressed as such by wearing traditional evening clothes. He obtained financial backing from Count de l'Escalopier, who fronted him

9605-407: The show had been a disaster. He suffered from stage fright that caused him to talk too fast and in a monotone. He said that he did not know what he was saying or doing, and everything was a blur. He believed that a magician should not present a trick until it was mechanically perfected to be certain of avoiding failure, and this caused him to over-rehearse. After the first show, he was close to having

9718-403: The store, which was owned by a Père (Papa) Roujol. There, he met fellow magicians, both amateur and professional, where he engaged in talk about conjuring, and he met an aristocrat by the name of Jules de Rovère, who coined the term "prestidigitation" to describe a major misdirection technique magicians used. At Papa Roujol's, Robert-Houdin learned the details to many of the mechanical tricks of

9831-399: The strongest tribesman on stage and asked the Arabian to pick up the wooden chest placed on stage. The Arabian picked it up with no problem. Then Robert-Houdin announced that he was going to sap his strength. He waved his wand and declared: "Contemplez ! Maintenant vous êtes plus faible qu'une femme ; essayez de soulever la boîte." ("Behold! Now you are weaker than a woman; try to lift

9944-594: The summer months, and he struggled to keep it open. To meet expenses, he sold the three houses that he had inherited from his mother. The following year, he added a new trick to his programme that became especially popular. Seats at the Palais Royal were at a premium. This new marvel was called Second Sight . Second Sight drew the audiences into the little theatre. Once there, they saw the other creations Robert-Houdin had to offer. He also performed outside Paris, sometimes with local magicians, as he did in Liège in 1846 with

10057-424: The then well-known Belgian magician Louis Courtois . Robert-Houdin combined his mechanical abilities along with "showmanship, humour, and artistic handling" to produce his illusions. Robert-Houdin felt that every magic programme should be arranged so one trick builds upon the others. One surprise should lead to an even bigger surprise. Some of the tricks and illusions Robert-Houdin presented became classics. Here are

10170-409: The then-novelty of Hans Christian Ørsted 's discovery of electromagnetism , to his advantage. Robert-Houdin brought on a small wooden box about a foot wide. He said that he had found a way to protect it from thieves. He asked a spectator to lift it, usually a small child. The child lifted it with ease. Then, he brought an adult male up from the audience and asked him to lift the same box. The adult male

10283-608: The time as well as how to improve them. From there, he built his own mechanical figures, like a singing bird, a dancer on a tightrope, and an automaton doing the cups and balls. His most acclaimed automaton was his writing and drawing figure. He displayed this figure before King Louis Philippe and eventually sold it to P. T. Barnum . On 19 October 1843, Josèphe died at the age of thirty-two, having been ill for months. At her death, having three young children to take care of, he remarried in August to Françoise Marguerite Olympe Braconnier,

10396-420: The time displayed by the previous state. The automata uses this input to produce the next state, a display of time 1 second later than the previous. Clock automata often also use the previous state's input to 'decide' whether or not the next state requires merely changing the hands on the clock, or if a special function is required, such as a mechanical bird popping out of a house like in cuckoo clocks. This choice

10509-459: The time of creation, such as kings, famous composers, or industrialists. Examples of automaton clocks include chariot clocks and cuckoo clocks . The Cuckooland Museum exhibits autonomous clocks. While automaton clocks are largely perceived to have been in use during medieval times in Europe, they are largely produced in Japan today. In Automata theory , clocks are regarded as timed automatons ,

10622-442: The tree and tossed them to the audience to prove they were real. He did this until he only had one left. He waved his wand again, and the orange split open into four sections, revealing a white material of sorts inside of it. Two clockwork butterflies appeared from behind the tree. The butterflies grabbed the end of the corner of the white cloth and spread it open, revealing the spectator's handkerchief. The Marvelous Orange Tree trick

10735-432: The trick "Second Sight", a title that was already used by magicians such as John Henry Anderson , but the effect was entirely different. Anderson had a box into which items were inserted. The medium would then describe the contents inside. In Robert-Houdin's version, he walked into the audience and touched items that the audience held up, and his blindfolded assistant, played by his son, described each one in detail. It caused

10848-400: The trick was over. "Nothing here now—neither anything, nor anybody," he said as he knocked on the upright flap. For a finale, he closed the portfolio one last time and produced his young son from it. The number of tricks he invented for his theatre was extensive, but his most remarkable one was the "Light and Heavy Chest". He took advantage of the infancy of the usage of electricity, especially

10961-421: The user pulls the lever, the water drains and the automaton refills the basin. His "peacock fountain" was another more sophisticated hand washing device featuring humanoid automata as servants who offer soap and towels . Mark E. Rosheim describes it as follows: "Pulling a plug on the peacock's tail releases water out of the beak; as the dirty water from the basin fills the hollow base a float rises and actuates

11074-495: The walled park. The work was conducted by local workmen and overseen by the Italian knight Renaud Coignet. It included monkey marionettes, a sundial supported by lions and "wild men", mechanized birds, mechanized fountains and a bellows-operated organ. The park was famed for its automata well into the fifteenth century before it was destroyed by English soldiers in the sixteenth century. The Chinese author Xiao Xun wrote that when

11187-466: The watch movement. Due to factory/genuine spare parts restrictions, an increasing minority of watchmakers in the US are 'independent,' meaning that they choose not to work directly for industry or at a factory service center. One major Swiss watch brand – Rolex – now pre-qualifies independent watchmakers before they provide them with spare parts. This qualification may include, but is not limited to, holding

11300-414: The watchmaking industry and may have completed a formal watchmaking degree at a technical school . They also receive in-house "brand" training at the factory or service center where they are employed. However, some factory service centers have an approach that allows them to use 'non-watchmakers' (called "opérateurs") who perform only one aspect of the repair process. These highly skilled workers do not have

11413-652: The wind over the domes of the four gates and the palace complex of the Round City of Baghdad ". The "public spectacle of wind-powered statues had its private counterpart in the ' Abbasid palaces where automata of various types were predominantly displayed." Also in the 8th century, the Muslim alchemist , Jābir ibn Hayyān (Geber), included recipes for constructing artificial snakes , scorpions , and humans that would be subject to their creator's control in his coded Book of Stones . In 827, Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun had

11526-542: The works of Cabaret Mechanical Theatre in the United Kingdom , Thomas Kuntz , Arthur Ganson , Joe Jones and Le Défenseur du Temps by French artist Jacques Monestier . Since 1990 Dutch artist Theo Jansen has been building large automated PVC structures called strandbeest (beach animal) that can walk on wind power or compressed air. Jansen claims that he intends them to automatically evolve and develop artificial intelligence , with herds roaming freely over

11639-580: The world. Although now rare and expensive, these French automata attract collectors worldwide. The main French makers were Bontems , Lambert, Phalibois, Renou, Roullet & Decamps , Theroude and Vichy. Abstract automata theory started in mid-20th century with finite automata ; it is applied in branches of formal and natural science including computer science , physics , biology , as well as linguistics . Contemporary automata continue this tradition with an emphasis on art, rather than technological sophistication. Contemporary automata are represented by

11752-504: Was built in 1410, animated figures were added from the 17th century onwards. Numerous clockwork automata were manufactured in the 16th century, principally by the goldsmiths of the Free Imperial Cities of central Europe. These wondrous devices found a home in the cabinet of curiosities or Wunderkammern of the princely courts of Europe. In 1454, Duke Philip created an entertainment show named The extravagant Feast of

11865-408: Was his pastime, and meanwhile, his studies in horology continued. When he felt he was ready, he moved to Tours and set up a watchmaking business, doing conjuring on the side. Much of what we know about Robert-Houdin comes from his memoirs—and his writings were meant more to entertain than to chronicle, rendering it difficult to separate fact from fiction. Robert-Houdin would have readers believe that

11978-400: Was known for creating automata for his stage shows. Automata that acted according to a set of preset instructions were popular with magicians during this time. In 1840, Italian inventor Innocenzo Manzetti constructed a flute -playing automaton, in the shape of a man, life-size, seated on a chair. Hidden inside the chair were levers, connecting rods and compressed air tubes, which made

12091-510: Was likely inspired by the Indian mango tree trick, where a performer would grow a tree from a seed to a sprout, then into a tree with fruit. On one of Robert-Houdin's side tables, he had an egg, a lemon, and an orange. He went into the audience and borrowed a lady's handkerchief that was in style then. He rolled it into a ball. He rubbed the ball in between his hands, and the handkerchief got smaller and smaller until it disappeared, passing through to

12204-614: Was on the most friendly terms with them." He was rewarded for his services by the French government for suppressing any possible rebellion. Watchmaker Most practising professional watchmakers service current or recent production watches. They seldom fabricate replacement parts. Instead they obtain and fit factory spare parts applicable to the watch brand being serviced. The majority of modern watchmakers, particularly in Switzerland and other countries in Europe , work directly for

12317-399: Was suspended in mid air. Robert-Houdin stepped away to leave his son in that suspended state, balanced only by his right elbow and no other support. When it was apparent that the drug was wearing off, Robert-Houdin returned his son to his upright position. When he woke up, he seemed no worse for wear. Robert-Houdin built up the surprise of spectators until, "… by gradually heightening it up to

12430-555: Was the birthplace of those ingenious mechanical toys that were to become prototypes for the engines of the Industrial Revolution . Thus, in 1649, when Louis XIV was still a child, François-Joseph de Camus designed for him a miniature coach, complete with horses and footmen, a page, and a lady within the coach; all these figures exhibited a perfect movement. According to Labat , General de Gennes constructed, in 1688, in addition to machines for gunnery and navigation,

12543-443: Was told that he was better suited as a watchmaker than a lawyer, but by then, Jean's father had already retired, so he became an apprentice to his cousin who had a watch-shop. For a short time, Jean-Eugène worked as a watchmaker . In the mid-1820s, he saved up to buy a copy of a two-volume set of books on clockmaking called Traité de l'horlogerie ("Treatise on Clockmaking"), written by Ferdinand Berthoud . He would go on to pursue

12656-448: Was unable to lift the box. Robert-Houdin's inventions were pirated by his trusted mechanic Le Grand, who was arrested for making and selling duplicate illusions. Many of those illusions fell into the hands of his competitors, such as John Henry Anderson, Robin, Robert Heller , and Compars Herrmann . It is not known whether Herrmann or the others bought the illusions directly from LeGrand or from another source, but they willingly performed

12769-716: Was used by the eponymous conjurer in Steven Millhauser 's short story "Eisenheim the Illusionist" and its film adaptation The Illusionist (2006) , where a more complex variant is shown. It is also alluded to in Donald Barthelme 's short story "Sentence". Robert-Houdin brought in under his arm a large portfolio used for holding documents or art work. The portfolio was only about one and three-quarters of an inch thick, too small or too thin to hold anything but pictures. He set it on two thin trestles to hold

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