Charles-Émile Reynaud wasn’t content with only inventing the praxinoscope. In 1881 he simplified his own design, creating a new portable optical toy called the toupie-fantoche, or ‘spinning top’. The toupie-fantoche consisted of a handle and a pyramid lined with mirrors at 45 degrees that reflected sequential images on a disc above. When the spinning top rotated, the rapid succession of illustrations gave the impression of one moving image. Typical scenes included butterflies fluttering, dogs jumping through hoops and drummer boys drumming.
A demonstration of the toupie-fantoche in a video on YouTube
Related works
Collection
Not in ACMI's collection
On display until
16 February 2031
ACMI: Gallery 1
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
P181400
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Pictures → MI-02. Play and Illusion → MI-02-C02
Measurements
190 x 280 x 280mm
Object Types
3D Object
Exhibition Prop
Optical Toy