The zoetrope was the most popular of all 19th century "optical toys" and is still sold today. 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. This attractive German example, made by Sala c.1900, is notable for having 20 images on every strip - whereas most zoetropes have 11-13 - thus creating a longer cycle of action. This may be the influence of German photographer Ottomar Anschütz, who created a version called the "Tachyscope" in 1887, using longer sequences of his chronophotographic images. Both this and the Anschütz version were made of cheaper cardboard, rather than metal.
Item number | 69110 |
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Category | Optical Toy |
Type | Zoetrope |
Language | German |
Country of origin | Germany |
Part of the Bill Douglas and Peter Jewell Collection