pages: unmaskingrobert00houdgoog.pdf, 75
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unmaskingrobert00houdgoog.pdf | 75 | THE UNMASKING OF ROBERT-HOUDIN Fawkes, he had a master-producer of his tricks. Christo- pher Pinchbeck never appeared on the program used by Fawkes, save as the maker of the automata or apparatus, but directly after the death of the elder Fawkes, and a few months before his own, the elder Pinchbeck ap- peared with the son of his deceased partner, and was advertised as doing "the Dexterity of Hand" performance. This indicates that he was inducting young Fawkes into all the mysteries of the profession at which the two elder men, as friends and business partners, had done so well. Christopher Pinchbeck was survived by two sons, Edward and Christopher, Jr. Edward, the elder, suc- ceeded to his father's shop and regular business. He was born about 1703, and was well along in years when he entered into his patrimony, which he advertised in The `Daily Post of November 27th, 1732, as follows: "The toys made of the late Mr. Pinchbeck's curious metal are now sold only by his son and sole executor, Mr. Edward Pinchbeck." This announcement settles forever the oft-disputed question as to whether the alloy of copper and zinc which bears the name of Pinchbeck was invented by Christopher Pinchbeck, Sr., or by his son Christopher, Jr. All newspaper and magazine descriptions of the auto- mata invented by the elder Pinchbeck indicate that his hand was as cunning as his brain was inventive, for they showed the most delicate mechanism, and included entire landscapes with figures of rare grace in motion. "Christopher, the second son of Christopher Pinch- beck the elder," continues the biographical sketch, "was born about I7IO and possessed great mechanical ingenuity. [ 58 ] |