Praxinoscope

optical device

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Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

The Praxinoscope was an early optical device that created the illusion of movement. It was an improvement upon the zoetrope, using a revolving mirror system within a drum to reflect images. This allowed for a clearer and brighter display of drawn or painted sequences, projecting them onto a screen with the aid of a magic lantern. Developed by Émile Reynaud, the Praxinoscope was a significant step in the evolution of motion pictures, though it still relied on still images rather than true photographic motion. The zoopraxiscope, invented around 1882, was a type of motion-picture projector that typically displayed images of moving animals.12

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motion-picture technology
History
…onto a screen using his Praxinoscope, in which revolving mirrors and an oil-lamp “magic lantern” were applied to a zoetrope-like drum, and by 1880 Muybridge was similarly projecting enlarged, illuminated views of his motion photographs using the Zoöpraxiscope, an adaptation of the zoetrope.
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…onto a screen using his Praxinoscope, in which revolving mirrors and an oil-lamp “magic lantern” were applied to a zoetrope-like drum, and by 1880 Muybridge was similarly projecting enlarged, illuminated views of his motion photographs using the Zoöpraxiscope, an adaptation of the zoetrope.
Read More