Joseph Plateau (Pioneer)

Joseph Plateau

Joseph Plateau was the first person to demonstrate the illusion of a moving image. He invented the Phenakistoscope, the first animation device that used the principle of persistence of vision to create an illusion of movement.

The device consisted of two disks, one with small windows equally spaced apart, and another containing a sequence of images. The user would turn a handle, and when the two disks rotated at the correct speed, the synchronization of the windows and the images created an animated effect.

The projection of stroboscopic photographs, creating the illusion of movement eventually led to the development of the cinema.


The Phenakistoscope in action:

 

A Phenakistoscope Disk

The final animation when the device is spinning