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The Phenakistoscope
from Static Motion
The Phenakistoscope was invented by Joseph Platea, a Belgian physicist, and Simon Stampfer, an Austrian inventor in 1833.
It was considered the first device used for animation. It consisted of a disk with a series of images, drawn around the center. There were tiny slits cut out just above the drawings. The animation was visible through the slits when the disk spun in front of the mirror.3
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The Praxinoscope
Taking inspiration from these objects, more such artifacts were produced. Praxinoscope was another example of a hand-operated animation device.
Created in 1876 by Charles-Émile Reynaud, the Praxinoscope was a modification of the zoetrope. It used the same mechanism as the zoetrope, but instead of the slits, mirrors were placed inside the drum to reflect the animation. The original piece came with a variety of different animation sequences for the viewer to see. These made great optical toys and gifts because of their fascinating technology.
The Zoetrope
The Modern Zoetrope was created by William George Horner in 1834. The name zoetrope came from the Greek words zoe (life) and tropos (turning) which meant ‘wheel of life’. The device had a revolving drum with viewing slits placed between the pictures. The later versions had slits placed above the pictures.4
