UNIT 7 Zoetrope: History of

William Horner

The zoetrope was invented by William Horner an English Mathematician in 1834, he originally named his invention the Daedalum or otherwise known as the 'wheel of the devil'. The design was based on Plateaus phenokistoscope and became more popular due the fact it was more convenient and more than one person could view the animation at one time.

In 1868 a Scottish physicist name James Clerk Maxwell improved Horners zoetrope by using concave slits which would reduce distortion when viewing the animation.

Eventually in 1887 William F. Lincoln patented the name of "Zoetrope", giving the optical toy the name it uses today.

In the modern day the zoetrope continues to be developed through the work of several artists. An example of a modern version of the zoetrope is a series of three dimensional shapes placed upon a rotating turntable in a chronological order. The use of strobe lighting prevents blurriness.


Here is a link to a video example of the original zoetrope:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k3a9HyhqPc

Here is a link to a video example of a modern version of the zoetrope:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjSxrVXsfVM