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The Birth of Photography
Animation on film was only possible because of invention of photography in 1827 by Joseph Niépce. -
Thaumatrope
This device was created in 1827 by English physician John Ayerton Paris which has two different drawings on opposite sides of a disk. -
Eadweard J. Muybridge
Well known as a photographer in California, Muybridge was hired by former governor Leland Stanford to photograph the governor’s race horse. Stanford had a wager that all four hooves of a horse leave the ground when running. Muybridge’s job was to prove the theory. -
The 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. -
The Zoetrope
This device was invented in 1834 by William Horner, who originally called it a Daedalum ("wheel of the Devil"). Later, it was renamed the "zoetrope," or "wheel of life." -
The 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. -
The 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
Auguste and Louis Lumiere were French inventors and pioneer manufacturers of photographic equipment who devised an early motion-picture camera and projector.
In 1895, they created the film “Workers Leaving the Factory” which is -
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.
