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September 11, 2008 -- Because it took up too much of the gentleman's time

Oh, the horrors of wig-head. You didn't think that was his real hair, did you?

In reality, von Kempelen was rather bald, as can be seen from this charcoal self-portrait. Wigs were compulsory dress for men at that time, worn daily except during the most casual moments, so it took a while to get to the point where I could show von Kempelen au naturel. The practice of wearing wigs grew less common as the French Revolution approached: since wigs were inexorably linked to the aristocracy, as the nobles fell out of favor, so did the fashion. Anthon's hair is his own; it's hard to see in the low-res versions, but you can tell by the way his hairline is rendered.

Kempelen is the only main character for which I have actual image reference, and only then from his self-portrait. Maelzel and Schlumberger's character designs are fabricated from eyewitness accounts of their appearances. Anthon is only mentioned a couple of times in passing, and is almost entirely invented.

The little gizmo on the door is supposed to be another of von Kempelen's many little inventions. Nothing like this was ever attributed to him -- I just like the idea of him outfitting his house with a bunch of neat labor-saving devices, like a counterweight to keep the front door's crossbar from slamming down noisily.

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Since I had so much fun with the webcomics links last page, here are three more history comics for you:

• The New Adventures of Queen Victoria -- a graphic comic in the same vein as Dinosaur Comics and Wondermark, this gag strip chronicles the adventures of Victoria, Edward, Liz, and Osama. Uh. Just go check it out. Sometimes NSFW.


• Kate Beaton's comics -- oh boy, do I love me some Kate Beaton Comics. Seriously, these are the funniest history comics I've ever read. Sometimes NSFW.


• Lackadaisy -- this is a really wonderful strip about anthropomorphic cats in Prohibition-era St. Louis. It's really really gorgeous. And smart. And fun. Go read! Always SFW.