The illustrations, shown below are all from a book I found while doing the spring cleaning! I decided to google Heath Robinson, and see what I discovered!
His early career involved illustrating books - among others: Hans Christian Andersen's Danish Fairy Tales and Legends (1897); The Arabian Nights, (1899); Tales From Shakespeare (1902), and Twelfth Night (1908), Andersen's Fairy Tales (1913), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1914), Charles Kingsley's The Water-Babies (1915), and Walter de la Mare's Peacock Pie (1916).
In the course of his work Heath Robinson also wrote and illustrated three children's books, The Adventures of Uncle Lubin (1902), Bill the Minder (1912) and Peter Quip in Search of a Friend (1922). Uncle Lubin is regarded as the start of his career in the depiction of unlikely machines. During the First World War he drew large numbers of cartoons, depicting ever-more-unlikely secret weapons being used by the combatants".
Robinson was an English cartoonist and illustrator, best-known for the complicated and ingenious inventions he portrayed, which has resulted in his name entering the language. Something I didn't know, but find now very interesting.
If a machine or system is Heath Robinson, it is very complicated in a way that is funny, but not practical or effective
Usage notes: Heath Robinson was an English artist who drew strange, complicated machines that could do simple jobs.
I once got a Heath Robinson device for slicing onions. I used it once, but it took me a long time to clean the thing.Similar expressions worldwide see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg_machine
23 comments:
Those are great illustrations Wil. Very funny and great details! In the US there was a similar artist, I think at about the same time, but I'm not sure, whose name was Rube Goldberg. A Goldberg device was pretty much the same sort of thing as you describe..
Marvelous Wil, thank you so much for giggles and amusement. I will be back to look even more closely and appreciate the humour and Ingenuity!!!
Yes, I thought of Goldberg (1883-1970) as well!
ROG, ABC Wednesday
Oh, what a fun post for the day, Wil!! I love it!! Such fun illustrations they are indeed!! Have a wonderful week!!
Wow, what the brilliant art work! love it.
These are incredibly amazing!
Leslie
abcw team
This is unique!
Very interesting illustrations. Thanks for sharing them.
These are fascinating pictures. What an inventive mind to see the humor in everyday situations.
I absolutely love the wedding picture and the sick person cooking from the bed.
Fun!
Heath Robinson is such a well known figure in the UK Wil that his name can be used as an adjective used to describe something which is cobbled together. I love your new header.
Extremely interesting, Wil. I've heard of the "Rube Goldberg" expression for strange machines, but not of Heath Robinson.
You are always educating me. Such fun.
Luv, K
It appears Rube Goldberg was inspired by Mr. Robinson. Very similar. I had a brother that actually build silly machines with strings wires and weights like that just for fun.
That book is a real treasure.
I wonder if the wedding reception also has a symbolic meaning - it's one of those events where everyone is pressed in a mold? Also like the last one with the man flattened in bed against the wall very much. So funny!
what fun illustrations! lots of details to behold.
I see that Patti already brought up Rube Goldberg. I wonder if Rube was inspired by Heath. I have no idea how much was shared by the different countries back in the time of Goldberg.
I had never heard of Heath Robertson, but love his contraptions. Rube
Goldberg must have drawn inspiration from him. An Arkie's Musings
Excellent post and I love the illustrations you found.
Kin (or inspiration?) of Rube Goldberg!
ALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
=^..^= <3
Hilarious love the prints. Very cleverly done. Love the header too as I was always an Anton Pieck
Love his creative illustrations!! TY for sharing.
I is for...
Beautiful find! Awesome looking your illustrations..
I really enjoy these kind of illustrations. I did not realize however the author was also an adjective.
Ann
So funny and such a wonderful post!
Illustrious illustrations! What a lovely research you did and shared. The Flat Life one is very interesting, but I love all the rest.
Hazel
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