Optical Toys in the 20th Century /

Animation as Art began with a display of facsimiles and models of 19th-century optical toys that informed the public about the early history of animation and introduced them to contemporary artists' uses of these devices. [ ... ]
Pre-cinematic apparatuses that create the illusion of motion through a series of drawings, required the participation of the spectator for whom it was patent that it was their activation of the devices that made the static images appear to move. They used the phenomenon known as persistence of vision to fool the eye into perceiving a series of still images as a continuous moving image. Therefore, they doubled as entertainment and scientific demonstration.
The abundance of commercial replicas of these apparatuses proves their popularity (which has arguably increased in the 21st century). Toymakers never ceased to market products based on these devices' principles, which have different connotations for each generation but never fail to elicit an intense experience in the public. The history of these toys and devices reflects the social, economic, and cultural developments of the periods when they were created. Digital natives can discover with them the magic behind the creation of movement.