Clock, ca. 1850
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  Photo courtesy of The Franklin Institute, Inc. |
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Paris
Jean-Eugène Robert Houdin Wood, gilt, velvet, silk fringe, glass, and iron(?); Frankliniana Collection, The Franklin Institute, Inc. (Philadelphia, Pa.), 4436 
This French table clock was exhibited in the Franklin Institute for many years as having been brought back from France by Franklin. It was described as a "mystery clock" because of its absence of a pendulum, gears or other working parts. Actually, the clock was invented and fabricated by the French master clockmaker and illusionist Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805-1871).
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