Public Enchantment: A History & Case Study of a Tiny Mechanical Protagonist
Brittany Nicole Cox, Antiquarian Horologist (Seattle, Washington)
Birds are a wonder, not just for their vocal abilities or their powers of prediction, but for their biology. The iridescent colors some feathers generate are the result of the refraction of light. A bird's feathers weigh more combined than its skeleton. A bird is capable of singing two notes simultaneously. Mankind has attempted for centuries to emulate their song and their beauty. The mechanical singing-bird tabatière was born during the late 18th century and continues to enchant today.
At the May lecture of the Horological Society of New York, Brittany Nicole Cox will examine the history behind the lineage of the mechanical singing-bird along with a case study.
Special thank you to the Toledo Museum of Art for allowing Brittany Nicole Cox to share this talk. Photo credit Ben Lindbloom.
*Doors open at 6PM ET, lecture to begin at 7PM ET. RSVP is required.
** The lecture video will be available to members immediately, and to the general public following a two-month delay.
Brittany Nicole Cox, Antiquarian Horologist (Seattle, Washington)
Birds are a wonder, not just for their vocal abilities or their powers of prediction, but for their biology. The iridescent colors some feathers generate are the result of the refraction of light. A bird's feathers weigh more combined than its skeleton. A bird is capable of singing two notes simultaneously. Mankind has attempted for centuries to emulate their song and their beauty. The mechanical singing-bird tabatière was born during the late 18th century and continues to enchant today.
At the May lecture of the Horological Society of New York, Brittany Nicole Cox will examine the history behind the lineage of the mechanical singing-bird along with a case study.
Special thank you to the Toledo Museum of Art for allowing Brittany Nicole Cox to share this talk. Photo credit Ben Lindbloom.
*Doors open at 6PM ET, lecture to begin at 7PM ET. RSVP is required.
** The lecture video will be available to members immediately, and to the general public following a two-month delay.