pages: unmaskingrobert00houdgoog.pdf, 129
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unmaskingrobert00houdgoog.pdf | 129 | THE UNMASKING OF ROBERT-HOUDIN During this interim, that is between 1821 and 1833, the famous little figure seems to have been in the posses- sion of one Schmidt, who, according to the programmes in my collection, exhibited it regularly. In 1833 Schmidt is programmed in London, playing at the Surrey Theatre, when the writing and drawing figure is one of twenty-four automatic devices. A pro- gram, which, judging from its printing, is of a still later date, announces Mr. Schmidt and the famous figure at New Gothic Hall, 7 Haymarket, for a short period pre- vious to the removal of the exhibit to St. Petersburg. The dates of other programmes in my collection can be judged only from the style of printing which changed at different periods of the art's development. Some of these indicate that the writing and drawing figure was on exhibition during the early 40's in London at Paul's Head Assembly Rooms, Argyle Rooms, Regent Street, etc. It is more than likely, according to Robert-Houdin's own admission regarding his study of automata and his opportunities to repair those left at his shop, that at some time the writing and drawing figure was brought to Paris to be exhibited, needed repairing, and thus reached his shop. Whether it was bought by Monsieur G , whose interest in automata is featured in Robert-Houdin's "Memoirs," and brought to Robert-Houdin to repair, or whether Robert-Houdin bought it for a song, and repaired it to sell to advantage to his wealthy patron, cannot be stated, but I am morally certain that Robert-Houdin never constructed, in eighteen months, a complicated mech- anism on which the Jacquet-Drozes spent six years of [ 112] |