Standing upon a flat velvet base, behind a faux- wooden lectern is a man with paper-mache head, brown glass eyes, hinged mouth with two rows of painted teeth and tongue, white mohair wig, sideburns and goatee, carton torso and lower hands. He is wearing black legal robes with pleated white collar and cuffs, holding French newspaper La Liberte, and has an inkwell and quill on the lectern beside him. The automaton is labeled J.P. Brevete Paris on silver plaque. Movements: he thumps the podium with his right hand as though to emphasize his point, while turning his head from side to side; then lifts the newspaper with his left hand while nodding his head up and down as though reading aloud; his eyelids blink and his mouth opens and closes as though speaking. When Henry Phalibois took over the firm of his father about 1895,he changed the direction of the firm from singing birds and animated scenes to a series of large mechanical figures representing various persons of the city, including jugglers, dancers, whistlers, the character Goulule (see #45 of this book) and even barristers, such as this example. The series is imaginative with intricate movements, and quite rare to find. By Henri Phalibois, France. Circa 1900. 30" (76 cm). Six movements. Two tunes.