Zoetrope

Zoetrope

Zoetrope is a pre-film animation device that produces the illusion of motion by displaying a sequence of drawings or photographs showing progressive phases of that motion. Invented in 1834 by William George Horner, it consists of a cylinder with slits cut vertically in the sides, and a series of images on the opposite side of the interior. As the cylinder spins, the user looks through the slits at the pictures across. The scanning of the slits keeps the pictures from simply blurring together, and the user sees a rapid succession of images, producing the illusion of motion. The zoetrope works on the same principle as its predecessor, the phenakistoscope, but is more convenient and allows the animation to be viewed by several people at once. The zoetrope was an important step in the history of animation and cinematography. It established the stroboscopic effect as the foundational principle for creating motion picture and was a direct precursor to more sophisticated animation devices of the late 19th century, such as the praxinoscope and the zoopraxiscope. The zoetrope's invention paved the way for further advancements that eventually led to the development of modern cinema and animation techniques.

animation, motion picture, stroboscopic effect, optical illusion

— John Armstrong