Vintage motorized salesman store display automaton with changing signs

Norman Tuck wrote to share a video he made of a vintage motorized salesman figure. It belonged to his father who used it as a window display in an appliance store he owned. The figure was distributed by the White Sewing Machine company. He believes it is German made because the paper mache head is made from German newspapers. It probably dates to the 1910s.

Driven by a small electric sewing machine motor turning a worm and screw, the figure moves its eyebrows, mouth, head, and hands. It has a set of signs in the box below which it raises up. A total of five different signs are raised and lowered.

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