pages: unmaskingrobert00houdgoog.pdf, 106
This data as json
path | page | folder | text |
---|---|---|---|
unmaskingrobert00houdgoog.pdf | 106 | THE WRITING AND DRAWING FIGURE formances, and by his pressing invitation I frequently was present. He took great pains, too, to introduce me to other inventors and exhibitors of moving figures, which I liberally purchased, making them prominent features in the attractions of the American Museum." Barnum then continued to describe Robert-Houdin's greatness and his cleverness in the use of electricity. The showman was always a welcome guest at the magi- cian's house, and he relates how, at luncheon time, The figure of Cupid as executed by the Droz drawing figure. From the brochure issued by the Society of History and Archacology, Canton of Neu- chatel, Switzerland. Robert-Houdin would touch a knob and through the floor would rise a table, laden with inviting viands. These details in the Barnum book make it all the more inex- plicable that Robert-Houdin should omit all mention of the great showman's name in his "Memoirs." Just at this time the amusement-seeking public seemed greatly interested in automata, so it was only natural that Barnum, great showman that he was, should scour Europe for mechanical figures. Soon after he purchased the writing and drawing figure claimed by [89] |