The Mechanical Turk

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The Mechanical Turk Download Full Size Image

The Mechanical Turk, illustration in Joseph Friedrich von Racknitz's pamphlet On Mr. von Kempelen's Chess Player and its Replica, 1789.

This drawing depicts how von Racknitz believed the so-called Mechanical Turk, a supposed chess-playing automaton developed by Wolfgang von Kempelen, to actually function, housing a human operator within.

Humboldt University Library, Berlin.

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Cite This Work

APA Style

Racknitz, J. F. v. (2025, September 11). The Mechanical Turk. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20947/the-mechanical-turk/

Chicago Style

Racknitz, Joseph Friedrich von. "The Mechanical Turk." World History Encyclopedia, September 11, 2025. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20947/the-mechanical-turk/.

MLA Style

Racknitz, Joseph Friedrich von. "The Mechanical Turk." World History Encyclopedia, 11 Sep 2025, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20947/the-mechanical-turk/.

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