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The Praxinoscope This adaptation of the zoetrope by Emile Reynaud in the late 19th century replaces the slits on the outside of the drum with a set of mirrors in the center of the drum. This lets in more light and allows the animation to be viewed from more angles. The number of mirrors matches the number of images on the reel. We have an older praxinoscope shown below. At some time in its long life a child added some oriental decals that are now much damaged over the expected gold lines on the outside of the cylinder. We considered trying to remove them but decided that they are part of its life experience and now part of its charm. The girl feeding chickens is one of the strips that came with it. Additional animations are being prepared for a future page.
On the right is a more modern reproduction praxinoscope made of plastic. We acquired it in the 1980s and were told that it was made by Kodak UK as a premium. It works very well with the set of modern reproduction strips. In the row below is a 20th century adaptation of the praxinoscope, a Red Raven Magic Mirror and records. The mirror surfaced carousel sits on a spindle in the center of a record player. When the special 78 rpm picture records are played the images printed around the paper label animate. On the far right, to illustrate the song, "Your A Grand Old Flag", flags wave, children march, and airplanes fly over. We have several of the Magic Mirrors and a selection of records as well as a child's record player that was sold to go with the set. The carousel comes in two styles and was made first by Morgan Development Laboratories c.1950s and later by the Magic Mirror Movies Co.

Optical Toys in our collection *Expanded and updated 10/1004 Persistence of Vision Toys - The Thaumatrope - The Zoetrope - The Praxinoscope < You are Here - The Phenakistoscope - Flip Books Our Peepshow Toys - Diorama Prints - Peepshow Changing Views - Peepshow images Our Zograscope Viewer Our Magic Lanterns - Magic Lantern Graphics - Magic Lantern Slides Return to The Collection of Collections page Collection of Collections Site Map Contact us at studio@brightbytes.com **NOTE** All items on the Collection of Collections web site are in our private collection and are NOT for sale. From time to time duplicate items from our collection will be offered for sale in the Do You Remember This? shop on the GoAntiques cyber mall. Visit the Do You Remember This? inventory page for photographica and toaster related collectibles. Please feel free to write us if you want to chat or share information about areas we collect but we will NOT give appraisals. © Bright Bytes Studio - Do not use images without permission Updated on 10/2004