Optical Toys
Optical toys have been educating and entertaining people for hundreds of years. During the 1800s many toys were invented that used moving pictures. Some, such as the zoetrope, had a series of still images and rely on persistence of vision - the eye will remember an image for a brief moment and changing the image at speed gives the illusion of movement.
Three dimensional optical toys range from peepshows that are actually built in 3-D to flat images that become 3-D when looked at through coloured glasses or stereoscopes. Many optical toys use mirrors and lenses; for example, periscopes, to enhance your viewpoint and kaleidoscopes to create a particular visual effect .
Magic Lantern
People have used light to make projections of shapes for hundreds of years. All that is needed is a light source, something to place in front of it and a blank wall or screen to project onto.
Peepshow
The Museum has two early peepshows, dating from 1721, in the collection. These could be better described as mini-theatres. Made in Austria and engraved by Englelbrecht, they are elaborate and were obviously intended to entertain high society.
Zoetrope
A zoetrope is a drum shaped optical toy that makes a series of drawings appear to move. The drum sits on a stand upon which it can be spun.
