Founded in 1845, Zinner and Sohne, a company based in Schalkau Germany, produced cheap commodified toys but specialized in quality machines. In comparison, Germany in the late 19 th-century was marked by war and treaties that led to a culmination of diverse influences and the birth of German Realism. Once the key under the woman’s skirt is turned they traverse the floor in a large square-rotation while twirling around one another. The work features a couple embraced in each other’s arms in preparation for a dance. Vichy’s Waltzing Couple was inspired by the 1850 dancing dolls originally made by Theroude.

In his 1870 Waltzing Couple he combines glass, silk, metal, bisque porcelain, and mohair. Vichy’s automatons were always heavy sources for mixed media. Vichy was the first automaton manufacturer who, in his small factory, oversaw every step of the production process. His wife Maria, whom he married in 1864, sewed fashionable clothing for his dolls. After his father’s bankruptcy Vichy, at the age of twenty-three, decided to create his own factory creating automatons with an intended focus on the production of musical automatons. The Frenchmen Gustave Vichy, born in 1839, grew up in his father’s store which sold mechanical toys. Late 19 th-century France was home to diverse artistic views. Europeans were moved by a desire to understand the meaning of life and representation of the human form. In the late 18 th-century and early 19 th-century Europe was emerging from both the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution, creating a cross-pollination of modern mechanical and classical philosophical ideas. Culture and location also played a large role in the significance of the automaton. Two examples of automatons made by Gustave Vichy and Zinner and Sohne are the works in our exhibition.Īn atmosphere of wealth often surrounded automatons as they were frequently displayed to charm guests. Today, modern toys use electric motors and batteries to function, but the mechanical principles behind the production of such toys has changed little.

During the time of their production, automatons were viewed less for their mechanical ingenuity but rather for the spectacle that was created by the mimetic atmosphere they created. The animation of the human form is considered their most intriguing aspect. Automatons are traditionally viewed as mechanical wonders derived from the minds of engineers.

Created in Our Image by Kitti Carriker