A superb Praxinoscope Theatre in its original mahogany box complete with all scenery and strips of animation including the rare second series which is rarely found as it was sold separately. The shade is original but it is slightly damaged and a replica is also included; the 20 strips are original and in excellent condition, most of the card scenery are original but some are damaged as can be seen and again facsimile will be included finally the candle holder is also original, all together an exceptional example of this wonderful toy.

The best toy theatre, animation, optical toy invented in the nineteenth century, The Praxinoscope was an animation device that was a distinct improvement on the then prevalently available zoetrope. It was invented in France in 1877 by Charles-Émile Reynaud who naturally enough named it by combining the Greek words for action and observe. Like the zoetrope, it uses a strip of pictures placed around the inner surface of a spinning cylinder. However the Praxinoscope fundamentally differed from the zoetrope by replacing its narrow viewing slits with an inner circle of mirrors, placed so that the reflections of the pictures appeared more or less stationary in position as the wheel turned. Someone looking in the mirrors would therefore see a rapid succession of images producing the illusion of motion, with a brighter and less distorted picture than the zoetrope offered. The Theatre had the added attraction of showing the figures animated within a scene which was reflected in a framed proscenium.
 
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