The Writer resembles a child, of approximately 70 cm in height and is made with carved wood.
Pierre Jaquet-Droz finished it circa 1770.

He can write almost any sentence, but is limited to a certain number of word. The sets of keys can be changed in order to modify the sentences.

This Writer holds a goose feather in his hand, is sitting in front of a table in mahogany tree, and appears to be concentrating.

Equipped with beautiful hand writing, he writes slowly with an attentive air, his eyes following the traced letters. He respects spaces and changes line at the wanted time, then he finishes his text by a point. His gestures are almost natural and his writing is clear and readable.

Description of the mechanism :

The start of a first mechanism, enables the writer to soak his feather in the inkpot placed on his right. He shakes his feather twice then places his hand at the beginning of the page and stops.

The automaton starts to write when there is a new pressure on another lever. To obtain this result, Pierre Jaquet-Droz had to solve very difficult problems.
Moreover, it was necessary to place the complete device in the body of the androïd.

One distinguishes two mechanisms which start successively.
The first, located in the higher part of the body, acts upon a cylinder with a vertical axis composed of cams which allow the starting of levers intended to make the movement of the wrist. Thus the feather can move in the three directions necessary for in-depth writing.

The second mechanism is used to translate the cylinder in the vertical direction. The degree of movement is defined by forty interchangeable steel blocks of differing heights, each occupying an angular space of 9 degrees.
Each position takes the cylinder to a corresponding letter or a well defined manuver.

A dual function system pulls on the hand to create the period, and also interrupts the movement in the lower body.

The mechanism is in fact very complex and comprises other parts which make it possible to move the head, the eyes of the child and the paper feed at the time of the writing.