BIOGRAPH’S BIOGRAPHY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3375, 15 November 1911, Page 8

BIOGRAPH’S BIOGRAPHY.

HOW MOVING PICTURES ORIGINATED. The moving pictures tliat now form an important part in the entertainment of the public everywhere had their origin in an after-dinner discussion between Sir John Herschel and his friend, Mr. Charles Babbage, as long ago as 1826. It appears that, Sir John making inquiry of Babbage as to how he would show both sides of a shilling coin at the same time, the latter replied by holding a coin before a mirror; a shift, however, that did not satisfy Sir John, who proceeded to afford his guest a better example. This he did by spinning the shilling on his dinner-plate, at the same time inviting Babbage’s attention to the pe_ culiar fact that, if the eye was placed on a level with the rotating coin, he could see both sides thereof at the same time. The result of this little diversion was that Babbage imparted the information to a scientific friend, Dr. Fitton, who immediately constructed a working model based upon the idea. Fitton’s device consisted of a disc, on one side of which was shown the drawing of a bird, while on the other side was depicted an empty birdcage. So, when the -disc was rapidly revolved on a silk thread, the bird was made to appear imprisoned in the cage. Here, for the first time, was shown that persistence of vision whereon all moving pictures depend for their effect. The eye retains the image of the object seen for a fraction of a second after the object has been removed. Fitton called his model the thaumatrope. The next step in the development of the idea was the construction of the “wheel of life,” or jotetrope, a device consisting of a cylinder perforated with a series of slots. Within this cylinder was placed a bond of drawings of dancing men. When this device was caused to rotate slowly the figures seen through the slots gve the effect of a dancing motion. The first systematic photographs of moving beings taken at regular Intel vals were made in 1877.