The inventor William Ensign Lincoln invented the definitive version of the zoetrope in 1865, when he was about 18 years old and a sophomore at the Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Lincoln's patented version had the viewing slits on a level above the pictures, which allowed the use of easily replaceable strips of images. It also had an illustrated paper disc on the base, which was not always exploited on the commercially produced versions. On the advice of a local bookstore owner, Lincoln had sent a model to the board gamemanufacturing companyMilton Bradley and Co. in an attempt to market the animation device.[1]
In 1865, Edmund Johann Krüss, representing the optical equipment company Krüss Optronic, received a patent for his version of the magic lantern. The device was a forerunner of movie projectors.[2]
Around 1865, a disc with nine oval photographic images of Jan Evangelista Purkyně (1787–1869) turning around was probably created by the physiologist himself.[3] Purkyně reportedly used the disc to entertain his grandchildren and show them how he, an old professor, could turn around at great speed.[4]
Around 1865, the Cycloidotrope was introduced. It was a slide with an adjustable stylus bar for drawing geometric patterns on sooty glass when hand-cranked during the projection. The patterns are similar to that produced with a Spirograph.[5]
^Herbst, Helmut. Drei Bildbeschreibungen und eine Liste. Der Filmpionier Guido Seeber. pp. 15–41 in C. Müller und H. Segeberg (ed.) Die Modellierung des Kinofilms. Munich, 1998.