Androids in the Enlightenment: Mechanics, Artisans, and Cultures of the Self

295 Pages·2013·1.71 MB·English

by  Adelheid Voskuhl

Androids in the
Enlightenment

Androids in the
Enlightenment
Mechanics, Artisans, and
Cultures of the Self
ADELHEID VOSKUHL
The University of Chicago Press Chicago and London
ADELHEID VOSKUHL is associate professor in the Department
of the History of Science at Harvard University.
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 2013 by The University of Chicago
All rights reserved. Published 2013
Printed in the United States of America
22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 1 2 3 4 5
ISBN-13: 978-0-226-03402-7 (cloth)
ISBN-13: 978-0-226-03433-1 (e-book)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Voskuhl, Adelheid.
Androids in the Enlightenment : mechanics, artisans, and cultures
of the self / Adelheid Voskuhl.
pages. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-226-03402-7 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-226-03416-4
(pbk. : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-226-03433-1 (e-book) 1. Robots—History.
2. Mechanical engineering—History. 3. Artisans—Europe—History.
4. Enlightenment—Europe. I. Title.
TJ211.V675 2013
629.8-dc23
2013005611
This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992
(Permanence of Paper).
To the memory of my mother, again.

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
1 Introduction: Androids, Enlightenment, and the
Human-Machine Boundary 1
2 The Harpsichord-Playing Android; or, Clock-Making
in Switzerland 37
3 The Dulcimer-Playing Android; or, Furniture-Making in
the Rhineland 86
4 The Design of the Mechanics; or, Sentiments Replicated
in Clockwork 128
5 Poetic Engagement with Piano-Playing Women Automata 170
6 The “Enlightenment Automaton” in the Modern
Industrial Age 201
Conclusion 226
Bibliography 231 Index 271
vii

Illustrations
1 The harpsichord player (called La musicienne). Made
by Pierre and Henri-Louis Jaquet-Droz, La Chaux-
de-Fonds, 1772–1774. Musée d’art et d’histoire, Neuchâtel
(Switzerland); photograph S. Iori 3
2 The dulcimer player (called La joueuse de tympanon).
Made by David Roentgen and Peter Kinzing,
Neuwied, 1785. © Musée des arts et métiers-Cnam, Paris/
photo P. Faligot: Inv. 7501 4
3 David Roentgen’s workshop in Neuwied, built in 1784.
Courtesy of Foto Bollmann, Neuwied 106
4 The harpsichord player’s back and her mechanism:
pegged barrel and cam shaft. Photograph by Adelheid
Voskuhl 133
5 The dulcimer player’s pegged barrel and cam shaft.
© Musée des arts et métiers-Cnam, Paris/photo
P. Faligot 134
6 Cam followers “read” the harpsichord player’s and
the dulcimer player’s cams. Carrera, Loiseau, and
Roux, Androiden, 74; La restauration musicale, 17 135
7 The harpsichord player’s and the dulcimer player’s
pegged barrels and relay motions for hands and
fi ngers. Carrera, Loiseau, and Roux, Androiden, 74;
La restauration musicale, 17 137
8 The dulcimer player’s “elbows.” © Musée des arts et
métiers-Cnam, Paris/photo P. Faligot 138
ix