AUTOMATON ( Au-tom-a-ton)

A very large signing bird in a brass cage. Made in France around 1845-1860. Key wond, bird head  moves and he sings like a song bird.

The birds were metal with the workings inside and then covered with real feathers.

   I wanted to do a beautiful post today, about my very small collection of Automatons. I wish I had a lot more, but, the price and my income has held me back. Being simi-retired, I get to buy very few  new, old,  treasures these days, but I am so very thankful that I have so many wonderful and beautiful things all around me, in My Old Historic House. My camera hates me today. I have tried everything. I even thought about throwing it in the Mississippi River out side my door. But I think the real problem is me, the operator. Some times the pictures are just really good, but today, that ain't the case.  So please forgive the pictures, I will try and do better next time.
    The word Automaton means self operating machine. It is pronounced, au-tom-a-ton. The word could be used to descripe a robot. Automaton is the latinization of the Greek word,"auroyatou", meaning, acting on ones own will. It is most often today used to discripe non-electric moving machines.
    18th century makers included Frenchman,Pieree Jaquet-Droz and Swissman Henri Maillardet. Belgin born John Joseph Merlin made an Automaton that was capable of drawing 4 pictures and writing 3 poems. It is now in a museum in Philadelphia.
   The King of Prussia ,1745-1786, was obsessed with Automatons and he put together his armies as a well oiled clockwork  mercranism whose components were robot like warriors.

The bird is made to sign with a bellows and the movement is done with a music box like  workings.

This is how the Victorians entertained there guest before TV and Radio.

This is a French doll Automaton made by the Lambert company. latter part of the 1800's. She is a peasant girl selling flowers.

Her hands move up and down and her head also, Notice she has pierced ears.

 
The box she stands on holds all the mecanics and it is covered in hand marbled paper. She has  a key to wind in the back under her train.

I got her in  New York when there was money in the world. She is Freanch and made by Roullet Co.She plays the mandolin and moves her head side to side and up and down. Her hands also go up and down.

I found this tall dome at an antique mall, so I bought it to protect her and keep her clean.

Here you can see her ear rings

     1860-1910,  is known as the Golden Age of Automatons. During this period many small family based companies of Automaton makers thrived in Paris, where   from workshops they exported thousands of clockwork automaton and mechanical signing birds. It is those Automatons that are collected today, althogh now rare and expensive they attract collectors worldwide.
   If I could win the Lottery, will not happen, as I do not buy tickets, I would go mad all over the world and buy up Automatons. They can sell for over $10,000.00 and have to be handled with care. It is very hard to find some one that can repair them today. I had a really large brass bird cage with 6 birds and it had a floor stand.  I paid 4 figures for it. I messed it up and I  gave it to this clock person to work on. That was 4 years ago. I have turned him into the police, better business, and brought suit against him. Now he is no where to be found.  Come to find out he had a way about getting the best stuff to work on and then he just is no where to be found. He was brought to court for another case the other day. Mine is still pending. I believe he is in jail, but where my birds are, is another thing. Maybe I should have thrown him in the river. So be careful before you trust them to some one you do not know.
   If you have any, I would love to see them,so please share. I rarely ever see one for sale in my part of the world.

  

It Only Took Four Years to find the All.

   When I bought,My Old Historic House, AKA, The 1845 Historic Elgin/Cottrell House Museum,in the spring of 2007,  I was no novice to Victorian home rentavation and decorating. This would make my 5th house of that nature. This house, however, was to be my final project,my swan song and the cream of the crop. I was 57 years old and took on a 30 year loan. What was I thinking, most of my family and friends would say. I said, "I,m in Love." I was like a child at Christmas, making lists and checking them twice. I had energy I never knew I had. I was living and working in St.Louis at the time. My weekens were all devoted to My Old Historic House. I could work 20 hour days and never seemed to  get tired. Of course all week at my antique business Iwould set around and moan.Things just could not happen fast enough. I was on a mission and I was determined to."Get Er Done."
    When I bought this house,I had  three pair of Victorian Pressed Brass window Cornices,pelments,valances, or what ever one might call them. I had these for years. I   bought them at a Antique mall in St.Louis. I had used them in many houses. In the past,I have had all sorts of them. But I would sell them off or be forced to leave them in a house when I would sell it. But, I knew I wanted brass cornices like these for the entire old house I was working on. So I started a quest to find enough to do the windows in this  house, and that quest, took 4 years.
    Cornices like these were the height of Victorian Window fashion in and around the 1860's. They were made of  thin brass sheets that had been pressed onto a wood or plaster mold. The molds were hand carved and were used over and over. These were made in running feet and cut into 12 inches section. The sheets of brass were overlapped like the seams of wallpaper, and they would be matched up so the length could be adjusted. They were nailed to strips of wood and held to the window with metal brackets. The purpose was to cover the window mechians  like rods  and  pockets. They were made in such the same way that tin ceiling panels were. They could be made longer by adding pieces and the ends were bent  to go   around the curtain rods. They also added decoration and bling to a room. The Victorians were all about bling, and they were the inventers of the phrase,"more is better."
    I wanted to decorate this house to the 1860 appearance, so brass cornices were a must. So,I went on a mission to find them. I looked on ebay everyday. I found them listed under cornice,brass cornice,valance, brass valance, pelment and many other ways. I bid on lots of them, some I did not get, as I did not have the money to pay the price.Others I won and slowly I began to build up my collection to fill the windows of this house.

Kitchen has two windows. These are French Cornices. I was given these by some one who toured the house and wanted these cornices from her family home to go to a good home. I had them for over a year before I had nerve to hang them in the kitchen. The only room I had with two windows. They  have grapes so I thought they might be OK in the kitchen. Kinda fancy, but I guess it works. I hung them one day when the nice lady called one day and said she was coming for  a tour the next day. I had to get them up for her to see.

 A better look.

See the Grapes in the center. They are really large and fancy. I was lucky when I gave that tour. What a nice gift.Thank you Mrs. Lucas.

Dining room has three windows. I found these on Ebay.

They are really nice and a nice size.





They had matching tie backs.

Another View of the Dining Room.

Guest Bath Room.



This bath only had one window. I found this one at a shop in Natchez, Miss.



The center.

Library has three windows. These were bought at a Estate Sale in St.Louis. They are the most grand ones I have.I was so happy to find them. They were painted with gold raditor paint. I cleaned them with paint remover.

They are 10 inches wide.

They cleaned up very nice. I polished them with  steel wool.

Another view of the Library. Second floor.

Master Bed Room has 4 windows. I had three and found the 4th at a garage sale here in Clarksville. It just matched the other three. Looked all over the world and found it in my back yard. I thought Iwould never find one to match.

I added this wonderful Scalamandre  fringe .





Purple  Guest Room, I bought these on Ebay also. They were almost black when I got them. I cleaned them with fine steel wool.

They are only 4 inches wide and have a nice center.





They just finish off the curtains.

My room has two windows. I bought these at the Antique mall here in Clarksville. There were each 6 foot long. I took the brass sornice off, cut them down, re-painted and added the brass back on. I finished them with two types of fringe. They are silver or chrome plated. I have never seen any others done that way.

See how they are plated.

Another corner of my room.

These  are forsale at an Auction House in New Orleans. Three for a starting bid of $1000.00

This is a very wonderful auction house, but the prices tend to go high.

Some for sale on Craigs List.

This is in the restored home of Abe and Mary Todd Lincolon in Springfield,Ill. Built about the same time as  My Old Historic House. I visited it last summer with my niece and was happy to see all the rooms had Brass Cornices at the windows.

   The thee that I had to start out with,I used in the master bed room. The problem with them was, I only had 3 and the room had 4 windows. They stayed like that, with one window plain for at least 2 years. After looking all over the world, I found the one I needed, right here in Clarksville at a local garage sale for $40.00. I could not believe my eyes, neither could I believe the price. I could not believe they were asking  that much for it, when they were not even aware of what it was. But, at the same time that price was very cheap. And the amazing thing was it was a match to the other three. Never know what might be in your own back yard.
    My quest was over- that was the one I needed to complete the collection.Now what's next ????
   I did a little research and came up with some for sale at auctions and on Craigs List. They are not bargins. There is none on ebay today, but who knows about tomorrow. I am sure if look hard and long enough you can find some out there somewhere.
   Drop by for a tour anytime, I will leave the lights on and Sissy will meet you with a jump and a kiss. ENJOY!!!!

My Store Bought Relatives

18th Century Portrait of a Lady, American



Love her Hat!



Love her Hat, Lace and Roses.

This is the Little Girl I bought at Chicago Antique Show

Her Dress and Roses are wonderful

A handsome 18th Century American Gentleman

I think he is handsome.

Love her pose.

Detail of her cloths

  We saw his brother earlier.

I call her my Rich Aunt Julia!

She Might be my favorite.

Love her gold jewerly.

She has a beautiful face,too!

My Uncle of Great Wealth and Importance.

Doesn't he look Important and Wealthy?

A 18th Century, French Beauty.

She has beautiful complexion, so pale and soft..

Maybe Me  when I was a little boy???

I sure am sweet!

A handsome American Business man.

A Creole from New Orleans

Love her feather and pearls

18th  Century American Grand Lady

She is the Grand Dame of them all. The first formal oil portrait that I ever bought. I paid $300.00 and was very excited and nervous.

Love her lace and jewerly

I just think she is the bomb.

20th century Grand Society Dame.

Love her cross and rose and fur collar.

I call this little sweet child, Bonnie Blue, after Bonnie in Gone With The Wind.

A Mother that some one loved very much!

Nice Dress!!!

What a sweet pea.

Her name is Anjelica.

Could be President of the South, Jefferson Davis?

My Bestest, 17th century English Beautiful Lady

Just love her colors, and she looks so pretty in my room with the Toile wallpaper.

Such a wonderful face.

   When I first started out collecting for My Old Historic House, AKA,The 1845 Historic Elgin/Cottrell House Museum, I had lots and lots of Victorian Prints. They were really fun and by artist like Paul DeLongpre,Chandlers and Prange, to mention a few. I had lots of them with children and animal themes. One day while walking around the house I made the statement that I would like to replace them all with formal oil portraits. so, that is just what I did. As I found a portrait, I will sell off a couple of the prints. I remember the first portrait I ever bought. It was for $300.00. I was nervous, excited and scared, all at the same time. Everything was up hill after that. The price seemed to go up and up with every one that I bought. I  remember one that I bought at the Chicago Antique Show, I was there with a friend, when I paid for it, I made the comment,"You've come along way from the farm."You see I grew up on a farm in Missouri. I am from a very large family, 5 brothers and a sister. We were really country and sometimes I don't know where my taste comes from. I would say the milk man, but we didn't have our milk delivered. Maybe the post man?????
      I love formal  oil portraits. They all seem to tell a story. I like to name them and give them histories. I have tour all the time at the Elgin/Cottrell house and one question that people always ask is, "Are these portraits of your ancestors?"I always tell the same story. "They are store bought ancestors!" My family was poor and we could not afford to have portraits painted, so when I got older and had money I went out and bought some. Thus the term,"Store bought Ancestors."
     Some of the details are beautiful. Some have pretty faces, others are kinda ugly. But, I loves them anyhow. I hope you enjoy them too. Thanks for stopping by,My Old Historic House, come by for a tour anytime, I will leave the lights on and Sissy Dog will meet you with a jump and a kiss.