Contraption Collection (page 4)

Motormania! (colour litho)
964663 Motormania! (colour litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Motormania! From Truth, 25 December 1896.); © Look and Learn

Pilotage tricycles being used by potential Officer ratings of the Royal Navy ship HMS Alfred during training in navigation

Mr Clifford Davis of Leeds Road Wakefield, tries out his flying machine made from bits of old pedal cycles. Following him down the road on their bikes are neighbours children, West Yorkshire

Woman and Child, Showing How the Heads of Children are Flattened, (1837-1839?)

A Travelling Knife-grinder at a Cottage Door, 1787. Creator: Thomas Rowlandson
A Travelling Knife-grinder at a Cottage Door, 1787

SHAVING OLD & NEW C1830 SHAVING OLD & NEW C1830
The old way and the new way of shaving: take your pick! Date: circa 1830

KIDS PULLING ORANGE BOX
A boy and his sister wheel their younger siblings about the streets in a wheelbarrow-like contraption they have made from an orange box and some pram wheels. Date: late 19th century

Imaginary Flight of Hensons Ariel, 1843, (1944). Creator: Day & Haghe
Imaginary Flight of Hensons " Ariel", 1843, (1944). William Henson and John Stringfellows 1843 design for steam-powered flying machine

Cattle drinking at a trough, Burgenland, Austria, c1935. Creator: Unknown
Cattle drinking at a trough, Burgenland, Austria, c1935. From " Osterreich - Land Und Volk", (Austria, Land and People). [R. Lechner (Wilhelm Muller), Vienna, c1935]

Mr. Patterson and His Apparatus, 1900. Creator: Unknown
Mr. Patterson and His Apparatus, 1900. Mr George W Patterson of Chicago was the first person to put on displays of juggling with electrically lit clubs

Taxi cab with gas-bag device on specially fitted roof, 1914-1918, (1935). Creator: Unknown
Taxi cab with gas-bag device on specially fitted roof, 1914-1918, (1935). During the War years there was an acute petrol shortage

A Frenchwomans achievement, 1929. Creator: Unknown
A Frenchwomans achievement, 1929. La Performance d Une Francaise. 22-year-old Aimee Pfanner crossed the Channel, from Calais to Dover

A farmers water-power grindstone and sod-roofed gristmill in deep Olden Valley, Norway, 1905
A farmers water-power grindstone and sod-roofed gristmill in the deep Olden Valley, Norway, 1905. From " The Underwood Travel Library - Norway". [Underwood & Underwood, London, 1905]

Jacob Degens flying machine, 1808, (1932). Creator: Unknown
Jacob Degens flying machine, 1808, (1932). Flying machine built by Jacob Degen, a clockmaker from Vienna, who made his first attempt in his tethered ornithopter in the spring of 1808

Knives to Grind!, Cries of London, c1840. Artist: TH Jones
Knives to Grind! A knife grinder with his machine. From Cries of London, c1840

Sky cycle below a balloon, early 1900s

Thomas Ricketts steam carriage, 1860 (1956). Rickett, a Birmingham maker of agricultural implements, built a steam-powered plough in 1858

Cutting out Press, 1866

Knife and scissors grinder, London, 1926-1927. Artist: McLeish
Knife and scissors grinder, London, 1926-1927. Illustration from Wonderful London, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, Volume I, published by Amalgamated Press, (London, 1926-1927)

Two-seater tricycle, Zeebrugge, Belgium, 1936

The New-fashioned Phaeton, 1776. Sic itur ad astra - Thus do we reach the stars. Illustration from Social Caricature in the Eighteenth Century

The Man in the Moon, 1648 (1887). Artist: Gaston Tissandier
The Man in the Moon, 1648, (1887). Frontispiece of a novel of Gonzales, 1648, showing a man flying by means of a contraption pulled by birds

Potato peeler, 1899. A machine for washing, peeling and removing eyes and sprouts from potatoes. Les Inventions Illustrees. (Paris, May 1899)

Six early forms of bicycle, c1870. 19th century hobby horses, fore-runners of the bicycles, including the Dandy Horse, Gompertzs velocipede, the Dublin velocipede and the Bone-Shaker

Garrett & Sons Double-Cylinder Steam Ploughing Engine and Tackle, c1862. Men lay out a system of ropes or cords connected to a steam engine

Diagram of Mrs Anne Edson Taylor in the barrel in which she plunged over the Niagara Falls, 1901
Diagram of Mrs Anne Edson Taylor in the barrel in which she plunged over the Niagara Falls on 25 October 1901, her forty-third birthday. She was the first person to survive such a journey

The Drilling Frame by Heath Robinson
Another ingenious invention from Heath Robinson. With recruitment growing, and training a long, arduous process, this contraption is an excellent solution

Curtiss Bleeker helicopter, Virginia, USA, June 18, 1930. Creator: Unknown
Curtiss Bleeker helicopter, Virginia, USA, June 18, 1930. Curtiss Bleeker prototype rotary wing aircraft, introduced in 1926

Samuel Franklin Cody, 1912. American-born Cody invented the manlifting kite as a means for military observation. On 16 October 1908 he made the first powered flight in Britain in his British Army

A (Y)appy Idea! by William Heath Robinson, WWI rationing
The Ventrimetric System: Rational weights and measures for use in hotels, restaurants, and clubs for the limitation of appetites

Science Jottings by Dr W. Heath Robinson II
II Testing gold with the uncle magnet at the mint. Typically ridiculous invention by Heath Robinson showing men at the Royal Mint testing gold by holding a pawn brokers sign nearby. Date: 1909

Rejected by the Inventions Board - Heath Robinson WW1
Rejected by the Inventions Board - III - A Device for Screw Stoppering the Enemys Rifles. Another elaborate and convoluted method of beating the dastardly Hun devised by William Heath Robinson in The

Testing teeth, illustration by William Heath Robinson
Testing artificial teeth in a modern tooth works, illustration by William Heath Robinson. Credit must appear as: Courtesy of Mrs J. C. Robinson/Pollinger Ltd/Mary Evans Picture Library Date: 1947

Card shuffler, illustration by William Heath Robinson
The new card shuffler and mechanical dealer for bridge parties, illustration by William Heath Robinson. Credit must appear as: Courtesy of Mrs J. C

Early type of mechanical shovel by Heath Robinson
The inventor of the mechanical shovel trying out an early type. Two medieval engineers with a rickety but effective mechanical shovel or digger

The Screw Em Out golf hole cleaner by Heath Robinson
A typically convoluted contraption from William Heath Robinson, the first in a series entitled, Very Patent Aides to Sport, showing the Screw-Em-Out golf hole cleaner in action on a golf course

The Gentle Art of Excavating - a specially designed skimmer
The beginning of a garden suburb. Excavating a new road with a specially designed skimmer, a typically rickety contraption from the inventive mind of gadget king, William Heath Robinson. Date: c.1938

The Gentle Art of Excavating - Removing top soil
A new type of shovel removing the top soil from a bluff in the Cotswold Hills. A typically elaborate contraption by the gadget king

A Turkey Glide by William Heath Robinson
The latest Christmas family gliders fitted with listening in equipment for hearing Dutch concerts during dinner. One particularly large family flies through the air while using hot water bottles or

Water-powered furnace bellows
A water wheel operates two sets of bellows to keep two furnaces burning hotly. Date: 1588

Heath Robinson and his pea-splitting machine
Photograph of William Heath Robinson (1872 - 1944), pictured with his own model of a pea-splitting machine. A well-loved artist, illustrator and cartoonist

Head Work! by W. Heath Robinson
A new machine (adopted by some of our first class restaurants) for putting the head on a glass of stout. Please note: Credit must appear as Courtesy of the Estate of Mrs J.C.Robinson/Pollinger

A Marker of Mark on The Market
A new labour saving lawn marker which is the sensation of the lawn tennis world. Requiring only two people to operate it, there is no doubt that it will soon be found in every up to date

The New Combination Drum and Multi Movement mixer
A suggestion by William Heath Robinson for the next Irish sweepstake. 1933

Christmas Preparations - In Heath Robinsonland
No. 2 - Training a young wait. Blasting a trumpet player with wind and rain so he is prepared for all weathers once he goes Christmas carolling. Date: 1909

Reading W / Book Machine
A man uses a circular contraption to read books, enabling him to move between volumes with ease. Date: 1588

Flat feet remedy, illustration by William Heath Robinson
A new method of curing flat feet and restoring the natural arch to the pedal extremities, illustration by William Heath Robinson. Credit must appear as: Courtesy of Mrs J. C

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"Heath Robinson's Ingenious Contraptions: A Glimpse into the World of Whimsical Inventions" Step into a world where imagination and creativity collide with practicality, as depicted by the legendary artist William Heath Robinson. Known for his intricate illustrations of fantastical machines, he takes us on a journey through an automated dining room without servants. In his masterpiece "Ultra-Marine, " we witness a whimsical contraption that defies logic yet captivates our senses. The Pea Apparatus showcases Robinson's ability to turn even the simplest task into an elaborate mechanism. With "A Decided Catch" and "Bound to Draw, " Robinson proves that there is no limit to what can be achieved when one combines wit and engineering prowess. His Sixth Column Strategy reveals a strategic mind at work, devising ingenious solutions to everyday problems. Not all inventions were met with approval though, as seen in the rejected creations by the Inventions Board IX. But this did not deter Robinson from pushing boundaries and delighting audiences with his Railway Ribaldry illustration. His cunning stroke shines through in "The Subzeppmarinellin, " a clever WW1 cartoon showcasing his satirical take on warfare technology. Even royal events like the 1923 Royal Wedding did not escape his humorous touch. Robinson's contraptions often end in smoke but leave behind smiles on faces, as depicted in "Ending in Smoke. " These imaginative creations remind us of the power of human ingenuity and how it can bring joy even amidst chaos. So step into Heath Robinson's world of whimsy and marvel at these extraordinary inventions that blur the line between fantasy and reality.