In 1876, America held its Centennial in Philadelphia. There appears to have been four Steam Men built for the Centennial Exhibition, along with a Mechanical Horse. An American inventor by the name of William Farr Goodwin, had some of his agricultural inventions produced by manufacturers who exhibited at the Centennial Exhibition, The National Iron Works, …
This wood and brass model with clockwork by Enoch Rice Morrison is a walking mechanism probably very similar to his “Steam Man”. The maker’s name is painted on an upright as is his home town – Bergen, NJ The model is 6.5″ tall. I have now located the patent for this mechanism – see below. Tuapeka Times, Volume III, …
William Farr Goodwin was a diverse inventor. Two of his earlier inventions were for toys, the first of these being for a Mechanical Horse, then later a Walking Doll. UNITED STATES PATENTS Patent Number 61416 Goodwin Jan. 22, 1867 . See full patent for the Mechanical Horse here. Later on in 1876, we see reference to Goodwin …