Events for October 20, 2008

October 20, 2008

Sharrona Pearl, Annenberg School, University of Pennsylvania

“Building the Fourth Wall:  Victorian Theatrical Realism”

Department of History and Sociology of Science, University of Pennsylvania, Fall 2008 Workshop | Visit site »

Time:  3:30 - 5:15 p.m.
Place:  337 Claudia Cohen Hall, University of Pennsylvania

October 20, 2008

Amazing Machine!  A Special Demonstration of the Maillardet Automaton

The Franklin Institute | Visit site »

Times:  30-minute demonstrations at 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m.
Place:  The Franklin Instiutte Science Museum

The Franklin will be giving a rare demonstration of its remarkable Maillardet automaton. Built in the early 1800s, this exquisite piece from The Franklin’s permanent collection was built by inventor Henri Maillardet. The spring-activated automaton draws pictures and writes verses in both French and English, including two three poems, two cherubs, one carousel and one tall ship. It is believed that this automaton has the largest cam-based memory of any automaton of the era. The Maillardet automaton is now permanently exhibited within The Franklin’s Amazing Machine exhibit. The demonstration is free with museum admission.