One of the many instruments designed in the early 19th century for the purpose of demonstrating interesting optical phenomena was the Anorthoscope, invented by Belgian physicist Joseph Plateau in the late 1820s. It demonstrated that distorted images could be seen undistorted, if viewed through a slotted revolving shutter. This was related to the phenomenon of the spokes of a wheel appearing curved when seen through railings.
The anorthoscope was less widely used than the anamorphic mirror, but the distorted images were similar. Plateau later devised the Phenakistiscope; the first true, sequential image 'moving picture' device. Return to THE OPTICAL ROOM |