What is a phenakistoscope?

Despite being a ubiquitous form of media today, the story of animation and moving images stretches back almost two full centuries to the invention of the Phenakistoscope.

You might be thinking two things now: 1. The word Phenakistoscope seems difficult to pronounce, and 2. A Phenakistoscope sounds like something a doctor would use in a medical procedure.

The Phenakistoscope is actually the earliest animation device to demonstrate continuous movement. It uses the persistence of vision principle to give the illusion of motion and works in a similar way to film. In both instances, they use minimal differences between images to create the illusion of movement.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

How the magic happens

The way in which a Phenakistoscope works is remarkably simple and extremely fun at the same time.

A series of images are drawn onto a cardboard disc, and then slits are cut in the cardboard between each image. A spindle with a handle is then placed through the middle of the disc so that the disc can be easily turned by hand. The tip of the spindle is then placed on a mirror, with the sequence of images facing the mirror. The user then turns the spindle to rapidly spin the cardboard disc, and when the person looks through the slits, the image appears to move as a looping animation.

Another version of the Phenakistoscope used two cardboard discs — one with the slits on it as the base disc and one disc with pictures that would be spinning discs. While it didn’t require a mirror, it was a bit more complicated. The way it tricks your brain is the same as how films do: when images are shown in rapid succession, your brain blends them into one smooth motion.

Politeness Abstract, 1833. Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

The inventors

One of the most remarkable facts about the history of the Phenakistoscope is that it was invented simultaneously by two different people.

Back in 1832, a Belgian physicist with a background in art and design named Joseph Plateau was the first person credited to have created what would become known as the Phenakistoscope. He started experimenting with optical illusion as a university student in the late 1820s, which ultimately led him to create the Phenakistoscope a few years later.

Phenakistiscope by Joseph Plateau, 1833. Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Remarkably, at the same time as Joseph Plateau was developing his creation, the Austrian mathematician and inventor Simon von Stampfer was working with optical illusions in a similarly experimental way.

It turns out that both Plateau and Stampfer were inspired by the work of the English scientist Michael Faraday, who had published a paper on optical illusions found in rotating wheels. In late 1832, Simon von Stampfer created a device which turned out to be the exact same as the Phenakistoscope.

It’s an incredible quirk that two people working independently of each other in different parts of the world came up with the same concept at the same time, and it feels like the Phenakistoscope was destined to exist. The device marked a shift from earlier forms of entertainment, which were based on static images and could only hint at movement. 

Simon von Stampfer"s stroboscopic disc, 1833. Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Soaring in popularity

In 1833, both Simon von Stampfer and Joseph Plateau were involved in different commercial productions of Phenakistoscopes.

Von Stampfer worked with art dealer and publisher Mathias Trentsensky to get a patent for the production of discs, and they sold well instantly.

While Joseph Plateau didn’t patent his creation, he did work with Ackermann & Co. in London to produce a series of six-disc designs, and Ackermann & Co. went on to create more discs with other designers, renaming the invention as the Fantascope.

As with any successful novelty, a crowd of imitators and copycats were attracted by the popularity and started producing their own versions of the Phenakistoscope. Some of these were of dubious quality, and both Plateau and von Stampfer complained about the quality of the copycats and tried to distance themselves from the imitators.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Fading away

This period of mass market appeal and commercial production was, unfortunately, quite short-lived.

After about two years, the Phenakistoscope was replaced by newer inventions. Although it continued to exist, it became more of a children's toy than a groundbreaking medium.

The Zoetrope quickly followed the scene after the Phenakistoscope. It’s basically a cylindrical version of the same device, with picture strips inside a cylinder with slits in it. This design also made it possible for multiple people to interact with it at once. The best-known version was created by toy company Milton Bradley in 1866, and it became extremely popular.

A zoetrope at Leeds Industrial Museum. Image Source: Wikimedia Commons.

After the Zoetrope, projection and film became the next technological developments to upend the world of animation.

While the Phenakistoscope might have only really burned brightly for two years or so, it can be said that it is the forerunner of modern cinema and animation. This evolution paved the way for the rise of modern animation techniques in the 21st century, including Japanese animation studios and their global influence in shaping modern animation techniques.

A resurgence in interest

The Phenakistoscope and the art produced with it have experienced somewhat of a revival in recent years.

Thanks to the New York collector, Richard Balzer, this is in no small part. Balzer has been collecting early optical devices for the better part of four decades, and part of his collection is focused on Phenakistoscopes. Along with his assistant, Balzer has been digitizing the charming illustrations of the early devices and uploading them to his Tumblr account.

Image Source: Richard Balzer.

It’s fascinating to see the developments in this art form over time and see how the designs changed through the decades in which they were produced.

There are animated characters, geometric shapes, and all kinds of weird and wonderful illustrations.

As well as digitizing old Phenakistoscopes, people have also been making their own, perhaps as an antidote to our overly online lives. There are online resources and tutorials to help you create your own, and even a cool trick where you can use a vinyl record player to spin a modern disc and a smartphone to blend the frames together.

Create your own animation design, choosing among thousands of Linearity Curve’s Free templates!

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Conclusion

While the popularity of the Phenakistoscope might have been relatively short-lived, the influence and impact of the invention have kept its spirit alive, and modern animation owes a huge debt to this centuries-old device.

If you’re looking for some analog fun and you want to flex your animation skills in a unique way, why not create your own custom Phenakistoscope? You could draw each frame using Linearity Curve and print them onto a cardboard disc. Bonus points if you can create one that is based on a modern GIF. Now that would be meta.

Fascinated by animation history? Check out our previous blog posts on Studio Ghibli and the History of Film Title Design.

And as a bonus, check out this awesome tribute video to Phenakistoscope pioneer Joseph Plateau.