Henri Maillardet

Henri Maillardet (born Jean Henri Nicholas Maillardet; 1745–1830), was a Swiss mechanician of the 18th century who worked in London producing clocks and other mechanisms.

He spent a period of time in the shops of Pierre Jaquet-Droz, who was in the business of producing watches, clocks, and automata.

With his brothers Jaques-Rodolphe and Jean David Maillardet, Henri produced a series of automata depicting magicians.

In 1805 Henri Maillardet built a spring-activated automaton that draws pictures and writes verses in both French and English.

When first presented to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia in 1928, the automaton was of unknown origin.