We have a 19th Century prosthetic leg in our History of Medicine Collection.
The earliest example of a prosthesis ever discovered is a big toe, belonging to a noblewoman in Egypt and dated to between 950-710 B.C.
In 1529, French surgeon Ambroise Pare (1510-1590) introduced amputation as a lifesaving measure in medicine. Soon after, Pare started developing prosthetic limbs. Amongst other inventions, he developed an above-the-knee device that consisted of a kneeling peg leg and foot in a fixed position, adjustable harness and knee lock control.
Listen to Max Ortiz, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Head of the Bionics Research Unit at Chalmers University of Technology, here: