An American visitor in Siam visited the harem of the King and was attracted to the unusual movements of the King’s dancers. A model was made by a Siam toy maker and then adapted by Converse to play on the Columbia Grafonola or any disc phonograph. The gilding on the neck was to represent Royalty and the heavy face paste, to conceal any facial expressions.
Place her over the center spindle of the phonograph or victrola and watch her dance. The metal and rubber wheel makes contact with the record label surface so that the turning record provides the power for all her movements. Her head turns from side to side, her torso rotates in an opposite direction from her head, as well as vertically. The arms move up and down and are jointed at the shoulders and elbows. With all these taking place simultaneously, she shimmers like a “Siamese dancer.”
