Ives clockwork walking bear automaton c. 1890

Here is an eight inch tall walking bear automaton by Ives currently on the auction block over at ebay.

From the ebay description:

When wound, the bear will turn his head to the left, open and close his mouth, and slowly walk forward and to the left. He will sometimes stop after only a few seconds, but just picking him up and wiggling him a bit and then setting him back down will get him going again. Below his left arm toward the front of him is the stop/start lever. The wind up key is a replacement and will be included in the sale. It fits nicely and winds the bear very well. The bear is covered with real fur; most likely it is rabbit fur. His feet and hands are made of carved wood. His left eye is made of glass and the right eye is a replacement and not glass, it looks good, although it’s not a perfect match.

Here is where you can see many nice images of this clockwork walking bear automaton.

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