| Description |
The third known chess playing automaton in the world was created by Charles Godfrey Gumpel (c. 1835-1921) in the 19th century. It took Gumpel about seven years to create the chess playing machine, and unlike the two that had come before it, this automaton, named "Mephisto," was not operated by a concealed person. Rather, it was operated externally by an experienced chess player unbeknownst to the audience. "Mephisto" was publicly exhibited for the first time at the Royal Aquarium in London on Oct. 3rd, 1878, as indicated on the mat surrounding this image. It was exhibited in various locations for approximately 10 years after this and was disassembled in 1889.
"Mephisto" was represented as a man in an "oriental" style red costume, sitting at a chess table. He had a black mustache and was depicted as smiling, with his right arm resting over the back of his chair and legs crossed.
Today, a brand of chess computer bears the name "Mephisto," in homage to this remarkable feat of engineering.
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| Material |
Pen and ink |
| Object ID |
AP.71.01 |
| Object Name |
Drawing |
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