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Perpetual Motion Machine
Perpetual Motion Machine
Perpetual Motion Machine
© Rube Goldberg Inc.
(American, 1883 - 1970)

Perpetual Motion Machine

1938-1950
15 5/8 × 14 3/8 in. (39.7 × 36.5 cm)
82.16.286
© Rube Goldberg Inc.
Gift of Jane Collette Wilcox, 1982
Not on view

In the early decades of the 20th century, Rube Goldberg, a former engineer-turned illustrator, created cartoons filled with complicated, convoluted contraptions designed to perform simple tasks. His Perpetual Motion Machine - An Invention is a prime example of the comic illustrations that earned Goldberg the title of "greatest engineering cartoonist." He also worked as a sports cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Evening Mail. In 1939 Goldberg created political cartoons and comic strips for the New York Sun. In 1948 he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his work.