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Thaumatrope
This device was created in 1827 by English physician John Ayerton Paris which has two different drawings on opposite sides of a disk. When the disk is spun, the images merge into one. -
Birth of Photography
Animation on film was only possible because of invention of photography in 1827 by Joseph Niépce. -
Phenakistoscope
In 1832, Belgian physicist Joseph Plateau and his sons introduced the phenakistoscope ("spindle viewer"). It was also invented independently in the same year by Simon von Stampfer of Vienna, Austria -
Zoetrope
This device was invented in 1834 by William Horner, who originally called it a Daedalum ("wheel of the Devil"). -
Improvement of Photography
The technology behind photography improved dramatically in the last half of the 19th century.
During the American Civil War (1860-1865), New York photographer Matthew Brady became well-known by taking photos of the war. -
Praxinoscope
The praxinoscope was invented in France in 1877 by Charles-Émile Reynaud. -
Motion Pictures in America
America’s premier inventor, Thomas Alva Edison, developed a motion picture camera (the kinetograph) and a projector (the kinetoscope) in 1891. -
Motion Pictures in France
In 1895, they created the film “Workers Leaving the Factory” which is considered the first motion picture. -
Georges Méliès
After seeing the Lumiere’s new invention in 1895, Georges Méliès began making films. He had been a magician and expert in special effects for the theater. -
Birth of Narrative Films
By the turn of the century, the subject of motion pictures evolved towards narrative stories.
The Edison 1902 film, “Fun in a Bakery Shop” was an early example of movie special effects