Magic Lantern

The 'Magic Lantern' was an early form of a 'projector', this device not only inspired the invention of thousands of other motion projector devices but opened up the pathways to the cinematic industry.

 

Much like a lantern in it's design, the magic lantern displayed an image printed on glass onto whatever faced it. A powerful light behind the glass would 'push' the image forward. However, a magic lantern could be used for a certain form of animation. The operator could manually line up several layers of 'glass' frames and move them one by one, displaying a motion of colour or shapes to the audience.