An Antique 'walking and squealing' hog automaton, by Roullet & Decamps,

French

circa 1905

R & D catalogue number 126,

All foot and mouth - (all walking and talking)...

When wound and start/stop lever actuated, the pig immediately walks forward whilst shaking head from side-to-side and squealing with two slow and three fast phrases during the entertaining performance, with all four legs realistically choreographed for the naturalistic motion, squealer diaphragm for sound, natural cream hide with light bleaching for skin, rib form detail to body, bone tusks to closed mouth and large nose stump, glass eyes, head finished with pink ribbon tied with a bow to top, curly tail, on spur wheels to legs for forward ratchet action, wound by period key to side, start/stop to underside.   

size - 9.1/2in. long from nose to tail, 4.1/2in. high, (24 x 11.5cm)

Point of interest -

Just under half of the animal catalogue from Roullet & Decamps comprised jumper automatons, which when wound, would stop walking then suddenly jump forward, usually scaring the viewer at first as it was something they least expected.  The most common jumper was the lion, quickly followed by the pig.  This pig, or hog, is the much rarer walker version from 1900-1905 which had the squealer feature instead of the spring for making it jump. The first version of this model was the Hog as seen here, although proving not to be a commercial success it was soon replaced by a cuter piglet.

Over the years we have seen a handfull of pigs but this is the first time we have seen one of the original Hogs with bone tusks.

Quite apt really considering that at the time this was made, some people could go out and buy, for the first time, a phonograph which would play back actual pig squeals instead of sound generated by this synthesised method.  Welcome to the world of 1905 sound technology - wonderfully clever.