Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-07-02
LONDON WIZARDS WONDER.
Doll that Draws Designs, Pictures
and Writes Letters.

Doll tbat Draws Designs, Pictures
ana Writes Letters.
London Times.l
Messrs. Maskelyne & Cookies
Zoe, the new writing aud sketching
automaton at the Egyptian Hall,
bears no resemblance whatever to
the celebrated androids of the Swiss
mechanician lie Droz, of the
French mechanician Maillardet,
and of the great coniuror and sub
tie inventor, Robert Houdin. They
were ingenious pieces of clockwork,
and nothing more.
Mr.. LIE Droz's figure was the size
of life. 1t held in its hand a me-
tallic style, and when spring was
touched, so as to release a detent,
the figure Immediately began to
draw upon a card Of Dutch vellum
laid under its hand. After the
drawing was executed on the first
card the automaton rested, and, five
other cards being placed in success
sion, it delineated upon the series
of six cards that number of differ
ent subjects. Two of them were
ikenesses of the king and queen,
and one feature of merit consisted
in the precision with which the
figure lifted up the pencil in its
transition from one point of the
drawing to another without making
the slightest mistake.
Maillardet's writing and drawing
automaton was the figure of a boy
kneeling on one knee, and holding
pencil in his hand. The attend
ant dipped the pencil in ink and
adjusted a small sheet of drawing
paper, upon a brass tablet, and,
upon pressing a spring, the figure
began to write. When line was
finished the hand returned to dot
the is and cross the ts. 1t exc.
cuted beautifully just four pieces Of
writing in French and English,
and also three landscapes, the time
occupied being about an hour.
Robert Houdin-a wonderful mas
ter of real sleight.of-hand, as we'll
as the inventor Of various principles
for working automata and magical
apparatus by electromagnetic, by
concealed levers, and other clever
devices-also constructed a draw
ing figure which was remarkable
for its life-like imitation of the mo-
tons of the arm and hand in using
a pencil, and for its faithful and
exact execution Of minute detail in
sketching and in writing.
Now, Mr.. Maskelyne's automaton
Zoe, while initiating the motions ol
an artists arm with facility-hold-
ing her crayon in professional form,
striking o true line across her easel
in a mastery manner, promptly
carrying her hand from one point
of her drawing-board to another,
carefully yet instantaneously raising
her pencil from the paper, and
transferring it to another spot, re-
turing to add touches and insert
Omissions, and finally lowering hei
arm and hand when sketch is com
! pleted-does not execute merely
the particular specimens of writing,
Figuring, and drawing which she
might be constructed and set to do
She executes anything she has a
mind to, or, in other words, she
can write any letters or numbers
called for by the audience, and de-
signs forms and pictures i'm
promptu, according to the ability
of the secret operator who mus
certainly govern her movements
Herein lies the wonder Of this new
Invention of the machinist at thu
Egyptian Hall. How is it possible
that any motion at all, much les
the m1ltifarious and complicated
movements of the arm and hant
wide in range as we'll as exact IL
short strokes, while describing
straight lines in any direction, ant
curves of any tortuous form what
> ever (to say nothing of the eye
surveying the paper and ditferen
parts of the work as it proceeds
, can be conveyed to a figure detaChe'
and isolated as this is?
u / ~ IL.