Toys that make pictures move
Phenakistiscope
A paper disc from about 1833. What happens when it spins in front of a mirror and you look through its slits?
The drawings become a man pumping water.
Why? The slits show you each drawing for an instant, and your brain joins the quick glimpses into smooth movement, like frames of a film.
Picture: Miscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of…, Public domain · Wikipedia(opens in a new tab)