An image of a navy ropewalk in the 18th century in the Encyclopédie of the French philosopher Diderot. It was a bestseller of its time and its illustrations are still widely circulated in antiquarian bookshops, especially in France. It covers almost all the material culture of its time and tells us a great deal especially about mechanics, construction and manufacture. The image shows children picking up something from the floor from between spinning cogwheels. The work does not look particularly dangerous, but losing a finger between the unprotected cogwheels was quite possible in these conditions.
