Pierre-Alexandre Darracq was born November 10, 1855, Bordeaux, France. Of Basque origin, he studied as a draftsman at the Tarbes Arsenal. While working at the Hurtu-Hautin & Diligeo factory manufacturing sewing machines and typewriters, Darracq designed a machine that won a gold medal at the 1889 Paris exhibition where one of the major attractions was the Village Nègre (Negro Village), a human exhibit of approximately 400 mostly indigenous people.
No Subscription? You’re missing out
Get immediate ad-free access to all our premium content.
