“Science and Splendor”: The Draughtsman-Writer

Introduction

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and every exhibit within it is a spectacle that should be appreciated.  From the Egyptian exhibit to the fashion collection, there is truly much to see and learn from this magnificent showcase of artistic history.  

For the purpose of this assignment, I was asked to visit the science exhibit in the museum, referred to by the following title: “Making Marvels: Science and Splendor at the Courts of Europe”.  I arrived at the museum on a Friday afternoon via train.  The travel was treacherous, I was continuously hit by a barrage of rain and powerful winds that turned my umbrella inside-out.  Then I walked inside of the museum, where the level of energy was simply overbearing.  People walked in all different directions, shouting at one another, friends pushing each other; the scene was hectic, no different from the outside weather.  But then I encountered the science exhibit, and immediately the environment changed.  

It was as though someone had flipped a switch.  The exhibit was extremely dim-lighted and peaceful, and everyone seemed to be more at ease.  Light shone only on the artifacts, and the crowd seemed to accept that the focus was no longer on them, but rather the beautiful objects being put on display.  The sound of chiming bells throughout the exhibit only contributed to the peaceful ambiance.  Everyone who was there was only there to observe and admire – it was that simple.  

In this exhibit, as suggested by the title, there was much to see regarding “…scientific instruments [from Europe] dating back hundreds of years” (Sakelaris 1).  The exhibit was extremely organized, consisting of several rooms which displayed different categories of art.  For example, one section of the exhibit displayed “artistic interpretations of time”, as stated by the MET’s website.  Another section displayed artifacts which were thought of as a “search for artificial life” (metmuseum.org).  Every single artifact I saw in the exhibit, no matter how massive or seemingly insignificant, was absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing.  As I am easily intrigued by the sciences, I found every tool and every machine to be fascinating in its own way.  Some of the artifacts were instruments that were at some point utilized to examine our moon and the solar eclipses it would cause.  The exhibit also included clocks that were so intricate in design that I could have stayed in the museum all day long to study them.  There was one specific device; however, that stood out from the others – not because it was beautiful or even remotely attractive (comparatively speaking) – but because its mechanism was weirdly and unexpectedly advanced. 

  The Draughtsman-Writer

The Draughtsman-Writer was my artifact of choice.  As it was located at the end of the exhibit, it was one of the final devices I saw, and yet it did not disappoint.  The Draughtsman-Writer was essentially an android that was capable of drawing very specific and intricate designs.  The automaton, made of brass, wood, steel and fabric, was first built around 1800 by Henri Maillardet, and it was said to be “…one of the most remarkable examples from a whole generation of machines designed to imitate life” (Russell 1).  At the museum, next to the android, there was a film that indicated how the mechanism worked.  The humanoid robot was mounted on brass disks which contained the information and/or pattern being translated onto paper.  These disks contained mountains and ridges which were traced by levers called “followers”.  This enabled the slow and elegant movement of the android’s arm, allowing for the intricate patterns to be created.  In the photograph on the following page, the brass disks can be seen under a sheet of glass below the table:

What Could The Draughtsman-Writer Do?

The Draughtsman-Writer automaton was capable of creating:

1. Four unique and extremely specific designs
2. Two French poems
3. One English poem (pictured above)

The Experience

The Draughtsman-Writer was simply incredible, and the primary reason why it intrigued me to such a large extent was because of its advanced nature.  At the time, the creation of an automaton was simply unparalleled.  Numerous androids were created, some of which could play musical instruments, and others of which could write, such as the one I found at the museum (Russel 2).  Accomplishing such a feat with the technology that existed during the early 1800’s is absolutely mind boggling, and certainly contributed to my decision in researching the Draughtsman-Writer.  While I was at the exhibit, there was also much about the setting that drew me to the android.  First and foremost was the lighting.  As previously mentioned, the android was located towards the end of the exhibit, which happened to be a very dark section.  The only thing that was lit up was the box containing the automaton, as can be seen from the pictures provided.  Truth be told, while the android did not move at all, the way the light rested on its chiseled face was quite eerie, making it all the more intriguing.  The film which played next to the android was completely silent, also contributing to the eeriness of the contraption.  I was very glad to have been able to find such an intriguing device from the scientific world of the past.  The creation of the Draughtsman-Writer was undeniably a major feat at the time period, and provided as the basis for the much more complex androids that exist in the modern world.  

References

Russell, Ben. “Introducing the Draughtsman-Writer Automaton.” Science Museum Blog, blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/introducing-the-draughtsman-writer-automaton/. 

“Maillardet’s Automaton.” The Franklin Institute, 13 Nov. 2019, www.fi.edu/history-resources/automaton. → (Photograph of English Poem)

Metmuseum.org, www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2019/making-marvels-science-splendor/exhibition-guide. Sakelaris, Nicholas. “New NYC Exhibit to Include Rare, Early Period Technologies.” UPI, UPI,  18 Nov. 2019, www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/11/18/New-NYC-exhibit-to-include-rare-early-period-technologies/4651574096169/.