Absurd Collection

Pea Apparatus by William Heath Robinson
An interesting and elegant apparatus designed to overcome once for all the difficulties of conveying green peas to the mouth

Mixing treated asbestos fibre, Heath Robinson machine
Efficient plant for the successful mixing of treated asbestos fibre with cement. A drawing done by William Heath Robinson for Turners Asbestos Cement Co

"There was an old man with a beard, who said, It is just as I feared
LLM386602 " There was an old man with a beard, who said, It is just as I feared! ", from A Book of Nonsense, published by Frederick Warne and Co

Laying the foundation stone of the projected new structure to replace Waterloo Bridge (litho)
1090673 Laying the foundation stone of the projected new structure to replace Waterloo Bridge (litho) by Robinson, William Heath (1872-1944); Private Collection; (add.info)

Illustration for Railway Ribaldry by W Heath Robinson (litho)
5210148 Illustration for Railway Ribaldry by W Heath Robinson (litho) by Robinson, William Heath (1872-1944); Private Collection; (add.info.: The building of Saltash Bridge)

Anti-Flu Masks
A man and a woman wearing anti-flu masks. These masks cover the nose and mouth and are designed to prevent germs spreading. They may work but they look very curious!

Parade of Elephants, rock formation of red sandstone, Arches National Park, Moab, Utah, USA

Life Is Just One Damned Thing After Another (colour litho)
3093963 Life Is Just One Damned Thing After Another (colour litho) by American School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Life Is Just One Damned Thing After Another)

The only way out of an Awkward Predicament (litho)
1090675 The only way out of an Awkward Predicament (litho) by Robinson, William Heath (1872-1944); Private Collection; (add.info.: The only way out of an Awkward Predicament)

Troupes anglaises: le bagage de campagne, 1815 (hand-coloured etching)
3664699 Troupes anglaises: le bagage de campagne, 1815 (hand-coloured etching) by Delacroix, Ferdinand Victor Eugene (1798-1863); Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

Flat life, how the tenant of the top flat can enjoy all the amenities of a back garden (litho)
1090695 Flat life, how the tenant of the top flat can enjoy all the amenities of a back garden (litho) by Robinson, William Heath (1872-1944); Private Collection; (add.info.: Flat life)

Illustration for Railway Ribaldry by W Heath Robinson (litho)
5210108 Illustration for Railway Ribaldry by W Heath Robinson (litho) by Robinson, William Heath (1872-1944); Private Collection; (add.info.: An old-fashioned method of testing the speed of engines)

Queeriflora Babyoides (engraving)
973269 Queeriflora Babyoides (engraving) by Lear, Edward (1812-88); Private Collection; (add.info.: Queeriflora Babyoides)

Why not go the limit? For the benefit of those ladies who ask the right to smoke in
1078685 Why not go the limit? For the benefit of those ladies who ask the right to smoke in public, 1908 (colour litho) by Dart

Widecombe Fair (colour litho)
3094380 Widecombe Fair (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Widecombe Fair. Postcard, early 20th century.); © Look and Learn

Clown on Bicycle Photo
Harry, a guest of the Mayors Fancy Dress Ball poses in his costume, (that of a clown), on a bicycle in his back garden

Shoebill stork (Balaeniceps rex) female feeding on a Spotted African lungfish (Protopterus dolloi) in the swamps of Mabamba, Lake Victoria, Uganda.. Sequence 2/13

A woman too fat for the donkey ride (colour litho)
3094552 A woman too fat for the donkey ride (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: A woman too fat for the donkey ride)

Samuel Beckett, Irish playwright, novelist and poet
Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), Irish avant-garde playwright, novelist and poet. Photographed in the year he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Date: 1969

MARIE ANTOINETTE TRIAL
The queen is sentenced to death. Among many absurd charges, she is accused of corrupting her son with perverse habits. Date: 16 October 1793

Fashionables of 1817, 1817 (hand-coloured etching)
5043062 Fashionables of 1817, 1817 (hand-coloured etching) by Cruikshank, George (1792-1878); 33x25.4 cm; Manchester Art Gallery, UK; (add.info.: Coloured caricature of man and woman)

March of the modern Don Quixote for the defense of the mill of abuse, 1791 (engraving)
ELD4927642 March of the modern Don Quixote for the defense of the mill of abuse, 1791 (engraving) by French School, (18th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Caricature depicting German army officers strutting arrogantly across the Grand Place in occupied Brussels, Belgium
6000417 Caricature depicting German army officers strutting arrogantly across the Grand Place in occupied Brussels, Belgium, World War I, 1916 (colour litho) by Damblans

The Fool Dreaming Of The Land Of Milk And Honey, 1660-86 (brush and Indian ink on paper)
7308546 The Fool Dreaming Of The Land Of Milk And Honey, 1660-86 (brush and Indian ink on paper) by Stettler, Wilhelm (1643-1708); 11.5x10.5 cm; Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

The Amateur Photographer (colour litho)
3094537 The Amateur Photographer (colour litho) by Browne, Tom (1872-1910); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Amateur Photographer. Postcard, early 20th century.); © Look and Learn

Man flirting with his secretary (colour litho)
3094675 Man flirting with his secretary (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Man flirting with his secretary)

"There was an Old Man of the Nile, who sharpened his nails with a file", from A Book of Nonsense
LLM386663 " There was an Old Man of the Nile, who sharpened his nails with a file", from A Book of Nonsense, published by Frederick Warne and Co

"There was an Old Person of Buda, whose conduct grew ruder and ruder", from A Book of Nonsense
LLM386658 " There was an Old Person of Buda, whose conduct grew ruder and ruder", from A Book of Nonsense, published by Frederick Warne and Co

A Croquet Match (coloured engraving)
2818064 A Croquet Match (coloured engraving) by Leech, John (1817-64) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: A Croquet Match)

Alarming Prospect, the Single Ladies off to the Diggings (coloured engraving)
2818057 Alarming Prospect, the Single Ladies off to the Diggings (coloured engraving) by Leech, John (1817-64) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Alarming Prospect)

Progress of Bloomerism, or a Complete Change (coloured engraving)
2818056 Progress of Bloomerism, or a Complete Change (coloured engraving) by Leech, John (1817-64) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Progress of Bloomerism, or a Complete Change)

"There was an Old Man of Quebec- a beetle ran over his neck", from A Book of Nonsense
LLM386693 " There was an Old Man of Quebec- a beetle ran over his neck", from A Book of Nonsense, published by Frederick Warne and Co

"There was an Old Man on some rocks, who shut up his wife in a box", from A Book of Nonsense
LLM386668 " There was an Old Man on some rocks, who shut up his wife in a box", from A Book of Nonsense, published by Frederick Warne and Co

Hoisting the Chaperone (litho)
1090688 Hoisting the Chaperone (litho) by Robinson, William Heath (1872-1944); Private Collection; (add.info.: Hoisting the Chaperone)

"There was an Old Man with a poker, who painted his face with red ochre", from A Book of Nonsense
LLM386605 " There was an Old Man with a poker, who painted his face with red ochre", from A Book of Nonsense, published by Frederick Warne and Co

"There was an Old Person of Tartary, who divided his jugular artery", from A Book of Nonsense
LLM386709 " There was an Old Person of Tartary, who divided his jugular artery", from A Book of Nonsense, published by Frederick Warne and Co

Interesting treatment of cattle on an argentine stock farm to make the meat tender and soft before killing (litho)
1090703 Interesting treatment of cattle on an argentine stock farm to make the meat tender and soft before killing (litho) by Robinson

"There was a Young Person of Smyrna, whose Grandmother threatened to burn her", from A Book of Nonsense
LLM386632 " There was a Young Person of Smyrna, whose Grandmother threatened to burn her", from A Book of Nonsense, published by Frederick Warne and Co

"There was an Old Man of Nepaul, from his horse had a terrible fall", from A Book of Nonsense
LLM386612 " There was an Old Man of Nepaul, from his horse had a terrible fall", from A Book of Nonsense, published by Frederick Warne and Co

A sailor brings a lame horse into court as evidence, Napoleonic, 1835 (lithograph)
7235381 A sailor brings a lame horse into court as evidence, Napoleonic, 1835 (lithograph) by Cruikshank, George (1792-1878); Private Collection; (add.info)

Ship of Fools with skeleton, 18th century. 1803 (engraving)
7233116 Ship of Fools with skeleton, 18th century. 1803 (engraving) by Deuchar, David (1743-1808); Private Collection; (add.info)

Matthew Robinson Morris, 2nd Baron Rokeby, 1712-1800. 1869 (lithograph)
7232936 Matthew Robinson Morris, 2nd Baron Rokeby, 1712-1800. 1869 (lithograph) by Cooper, Robert (fl.1800-36); Private Collection; (add.info.: Matthew Robinson Morris, 2nd Baron Rokeby, 1712-1800)

IIlustration for the Adventures of Baron Munchausen (engraving)
7178135 IIlustration for the Adventures of Baron Munchausen (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

IIlustration for the Adventures of Baron Munchausen (engraving)
7178153 IIlustration for the Adventures of Baron Munchausen (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The defeat of the Lion and Crocodile)

IIlustration for the Adventures of Baron Munchausen (engraving)
7178138 IIlustration for the Adventures of Baron Munchausen (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Baron besieges Seringapatam)

IIlustration for the Adventures of Baron Munchausen (engraving)
7178136 IIlustration for the Adventures of Baron Munchausen (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Baron knighting the Fish-Woman)

A Jain temple on Mount Abu (litho)
7171063 A Jain temple on Mount Abu (litho) by American School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: A Jain temple on Mount Abu)

IIlustration for the Adventures of Baron Munchausen (engraving)
7178149 IIlustration for the Adventures of Baron Munchausen (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Baron on his Voyage to Africa)

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"Embracing the Absurd: A Whimsical Journey through Imagination" Step into a world where logic takes a backseat and absurdity reigns supreme. From the mind of William Heath Robinson, we are introduced to the Pea Apparatus - a contraption so convoluted it could only exist in dreams. In this topsy-turvy realm, even mundane tasks like mixing treated asbestos fiber become an outlandish spectacle. Witness the Heath Robinson machine, an intricate web of gears and pulleys that defy all reason. But let us not forget the words of that old man with a beard who warned us long ago - "It is just as I feared. " As we delve deeper into this nonsensical universe, we encounter anti-flu masks that transform faces into peculiar creatures from another dimension. And what about those living in flat life? The tenant on the top floor finds solace amidst their urban surroundings by enjoying all the amenities of a back garden. Oh, how delightful it must be to escape reality's constraints. Life itself can sometimes feel like one damned thing after another, but why not embrace its absurdities? With colorful illustrations from Railway Ribaldry and Widecombe Fair, W. Heath Robinson invites us to revel in whimsy and find joy in unexpected places. As we journey further into this fantastical landscape, we stumble upon rock formations resembling parading elephants in Arches National Park. And who can resist chuckling at Troupes anglaises' camp baggage from 1815 - surely no army would dare carry such comically oversized trunks. But perhaps most enchanting is Queeriflora Babyoides; an engraving depicting flowers with personalities as eccentric as their namesake suggests. In this world where imagination knows no bounds, anything becomes possible. So why not go beyond limits? For those ladies seeking equality even when it comes to smoking rights – here's a tongue-in-cheek suggestion to go the extra mile.