Projection Strip of Émile Reynaud
A small exhibition presents a significant item from the NTM collection, which is registered in the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register.
The exhibition features a copy of a fragment of Émile Reynaud's projection strip for the 1894 performance Autour d’une Cabine (Around a Cabin). This hand-painted fragment of an animated grotesque from the collections of the National Technical Museum is registered in the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register. It is a unique document of early film technology, which its creator used to surpass the Lumière brothers.
Also on display is Émile Reynaud's praxinoscope from 1877–1879 and Reynaud's optical theater from 1877–1890.
The praxinoscope is a device for animating drawn phases of movement placed on a paper strip. The exchange of images is done using mirrors, making the image swap smoother and the image appear clearer compared to slotted drums.
The optical theater is an improved praxinoscope with 12 mirrors, placed in a cabinet and supplemented with a device for viewing interchangeable backgrounds. The viewer would turn the drum and watch the moving object through an opening in the lid. Under the viewing hole was an interchangeable card with a background that was reflected in a glass viewport. The moving figure, drawn on the strip against a black background, was visible through the viewport. The result was a moving figure against the backdrop of an imitation theater scene. Several backgrounds existed, and they could be freely changed, similar to the strips with phases of movement.