Tipu’s Tiger is an 18th-century wooden automaton made for Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore and an enemy of the British East India Company. It depicts a near-life-sized tiger attacking a European man. Turning a handle makes the man’s arm move while hidden pipes produce his cries and the tiger’s grunts; a flap opens to reveal a small organ keyboard. British troops seized it from Tipu’s palace in 1799, brought it to London and made it a popular attraction.
Tipu’s Tiger
