Flipbook ‘The Filoscope’ (various)

selection of two scarce flipbooks from around 1900: (1) ‘The Filoscope’ invented by R.W. Paul's cameraman Henry W. Short and manufactured by The British Mutoscope & Biograph Co., Ltd. is a small hand-held flip-book device, using a lever to flip over separate pictures to give the illusion of movement. Red and black lithographed tin body, brass lever, paper strips with halftone photographs of a pantomime, in complete and working condition, some wear. The first paper strip printed ‘Kinetic Photograph giving the effect of living motion. To accomplish this, a series of 190 instantaneous photographs are taken in rapid succession at the rate of about 20 per second’. Since ‘The Filoscope’ features images from films made by R.W. Paul it is a sought after optical toy dating from the dawn of cinema. (2) an advertising 7x5cm flipbook for the ‘Bon Marchè’ department store in Paris labelled ‘Cinematographe de Poche’, printed by Camille Sohet, Paris, featuring the chronophotographical record of ‘The Laughter! (Le Rire) by George Demeny, in used condition.