Joseph Walker mechanical toy features drawing artist

I've posted several times in the past about Vielmetter's drawing clown tin toy. Shown here is a toy very much like that one.

From the YouTube description;

The Drawing Artist made by Joseph Walker of Birmingham is a very rare painted and copper plated toy. Operated by winding the handle in the base, a double cam allows the seated figure to draw a portrait of a number of 19th century personalities -- in this case the cams that accompany the toy are of Gladstone and Lord Salisbury.

David Hall wrote in to provide some interesting information about the history of both toys. As it turns out, the toy shown here pre-dates the Vielmetter clown artist. It was made by Joseph Walker of Birmingham, England around 1880. It is thought that at some point in the late 19th century Vielmetter purchased the rights to the mechanism. Some evidence lies in the design of the toys themselves. Different cams can be loaded into the machines. The profile of the cam determines the picture that is drawn. The Walker drawing toy cams are interchangeable with the Vielmetter.

[ Thanks David! ]

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