The phénakistiscope (word formed of the Greek phenax - akos , “misleading”, and skopein , “to examine”) is a optical Jouet giving the illusion of the movement based on the retinal Persistance. He was invented by the Belgian Joseph Plateau in 1831.

He comprises a round disc out of paperboard, bored slits, on which a movement is broken up into a succession of still images, and a handle allowing its maintenance during its rotation. To reconstitute the movement, the spectator places himself opposite a mirror and positions his eyes on the level of the slits of the disc, of with dimensions without drawing; he then makes turn the paperboard; slits moving letting appear the image reflected in the mirror, only one very short moment. The paperboard between those hiding place the image when the latter is exchanged for the following one, thus being used as Obturateur. The eye thus sees only images fixed by retinal persistence, the ones after the others, which gives a feeling of animation when the paperboard turns at the good speed.

Animated illustration