Phenakistoscope: Moving Pictures

The phenakistoscope is an early animation device.

 

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Disc by Eadweard Muybridge (1893).

 

There were variations on the device, but the principle is of a spinning wheel with slots between the images, as you see above.   Note the hole in the middle where a handle attaches.

 

 

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Say you face a mirror and hold the disc in front of you. Spin the disc and look through the slots. You catch each image as it whizzes by, and the persistence of vision creates the moving picture.

 

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6 thoughts on “Phenakistoscope: Moving Pictures”

    1. It was invented about 1830. The photos I have are designs from 1890s. I guess they were popular until early 1900s. May have been toys after that. Guessing here.

      Did you see my blog post about stereoscopes? These are now for kids (Viewmaster).

      Pamela Tartaglio Past and Present with Pamela A blog of the Arts, History, and Places http://PastAndPresentWithPamela.com

      On Thu, Jul 31, 2014 at 4:40 PM, Past and Present with Pamela wrote:

      >

    2. It was invented about 1830. The photos I have are designs from 1890s. I guess they were popular until early 1900s. May have been toys after that. Guessing here.

      Did you see my blog post about stereoscopes? These are now for kids (Viewmaster).

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