[AUTOMATA]. Group of 6 Glass Negatives of Automata by Robert-Houdin and Contemporaries. Circa early 20th century. Six photograph glass plate negatives, each 4 5/8 x 3 ½”, depicting various 19th century automata, including The Fantastic Orange Tree; The Learned Card Pigeon; a man standing at a table which displays three mechanical automata; composite image of several automata with Robert-Houdin at center; and two others. One plate chipped at corner without loss to central image area. Three in old paper sleeves from a Belgian photo studio. RARE images.