The Thaumatrope, an Optic Wonder
Thaumatrope
ca. 1850 (published)
ca. 1850 (published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The thaumatrope was a popular optical toy of the nineteenth century. Cards that were usually either circular or rectangular were printed with a picture on each side. When the card was spun, sometimes using attached pieces of string, one complete image was formed. A popular example was a bird and a cage. The images were often humorous and this set features a boy being thrown from a donkey and a bull chasing a man.
The illusion is created due to the phenomenon know as persistence of vision. This is when the eye will remember an image for a brief moment and, given two images to see in a short space of time, will combine them.
The illusion is created due to the phenomenon know as persistence of vision. This is when the eye will remember an image for a brief moment and, given two images to see in a short space of time, will combine them.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 23 parts.
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| Title | The Thaumatrope, an Optic Wonder (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Printed and coloured card |
| Brief description | Boxed set of thaumatrope cards published in England by H G Clarke & Co in about 1850 |
| Physical description | A boxed set of ten cards each with a pair of images, one on each side of the card. All bar one of the cards have short pieces of string attached to each end. The box base has a list of other parlour games and pastimes pasted on its outside. |
| Dimensions |
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| Summary | The thaumatrope was a popular optical toy of the nineteenth century. Cards that were usually either circular or rectangular were printed with a picture on each side. When the card was spun, sometimes using attached pieces of string, one complete image was formed. A popular example was a bird and a cage. The images were often humorous and this set features a boy being thrown from a donkey and a bull chasing a man. The illusion is created due to the phenomenon know as persistence of vision. This is when the eye will remember an image for a brief moment and, given two images to see in a short space of time, will combine them. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.804A-1945 |
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| Record created | July 1, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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