The discovery of these small curious pieces of mechanism is due to a Swiss watchmaker whose name is
Pierre Jaquet-Droz
This wonderful artist was born at La Chaux de Fonds (Switzerland) on the 28th of July 1721. His parents, rich peasants, seeing the great dispositions of their Child for Study, had projected to make a clergyman of him, and consequently sent him to study theology at Neuchâtel.
During his holidays, which he used to spend at one of his sisters, who, having abandoned the old industry of this city, which was lacemaking, married a watchmaker, the young Peter was deeply interested in all mechanics, and spent all his time working at his sister’s workshop. He soon became so industrious that everybody induced him to leave Theology and become a watchmaker.
His improvement astonished even the oldest and very best workmen, and he soon became their master.
It was about the year 1752, the year of his marriage, that he made his first singing bird,—in a gold snuff box, the bird appearing and singing when opening the box to take snuff.—
His fame became so universal, that in 1758 he was summoned by the King of Spain, for whom he worked, and made such marvellous automata that the Santa Inquisition, at a certain time wanted to condemn him as a “Sorcier,” a very terrible charge at that time.
Pierre Jaquet-Droz Henri Louis Jaquet-Droz
From a design by Girardet (1795)
