The zoetrope was the most popular of all 19th century "optical toys" and is still sold today. This example is from the London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company, who first had the manufacturing rights in Britain from 1867. It is unusual in having a decorative metal base with wooden feet, whilst the drum is magenta in colour (originally they were made with a turned wooden base and black drum), so may represent the "new form of design" created for Christmas 1868. As the drum spins, the passing slits function as a kind of shutter, freezing each successive image on the picture strip inside and creating the effect of animation. The concept was postulated by Bristol mathematician George Horner in 1833, then later patented and demonstrated in Britain by Peter Desvignes in 1860. However, it was not until William Lincoln, an American university student, assigned a patent for the same idea to the USA toy manufacturers Milton Bradley in 1866 that it was commercially produced and quickly became massively popular on both sides of the Atlantic. The strips with it are a mix of those produced by the London Stereoscopic Company and H.G. Clarke.
Item number | 69010 |
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Category | Optical Toy |
Type | Zoetrope |
Language | English |
Country of origin | UK |
Part of the Bill Douglas and Peter Jewell Collection