Animation Series

The world of music iconography is without a doubt a rich and vibrant reflection on society. Some of the objects in our museums and passing through auction houses and dealers offer an amazing peak into the past. It is surprising though to find that bowed instrument iconography tracks the introduction and development of animation! This series of articles looks at the animation of bowed instrument musicians prior to the advent of movies.

c.1800-1899 Pull tab animation - COMING SOON!

Simple, accessible, available! Pull tab animation was relatively cheap to produce and provided lots of fun. We take a look at some of the delights from the Larry Seidman collection. Larry has created some wonderful animated GIFs to enjoy!

c.1832-1899 Double Bass Player & Dancers Phenakistiscope

A phenakistiscope disc showing a double bass player and a dancer. Animated by Barry Pearce.

c.1860 The Motoscope, D. Appleton & Co., New York, USA - COMING SOON

There is only one Motoscope that is known to exist and only one of photolithograph of the twelve that we sold with the deivce remains. This article takes a look at this unique viewer. Animated by Barry Pearce.

c.1877-1879 Le Singe Musicien - Praxinoscope - COMING SOON!

Inventor Charles-Émile Reynaud developed the praxinoscope. It provided smoother animation than previous devices. Reynaud further developed this and within 15 years led to 300-700 frame films.