The praxinoscope ,a device used for animation, was invented in 1876 by the Frenchman Charles-Émile Reynaud (1844-1918), a Paris science teacher, who marked all his examples ‘E.R.’. Due to the dramatic advance in history it quickly replaced the zoetrope. http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/exhibits/fancy-names-and-fun-toys/praxinoscope/%20%20http://www.dlt.ncssm.edu/collections/toys/html/exhibit11.htm

The praxinoscope can be used to show 2D animations of things varying from horse drawn carriages people rope walking, people walking with birds to simple flowers with insects around them....

Originally the praxinoscope was a modification of the “lampascope,” M. Reynaud, the inventor, obtains by means of an ordinary lamp, at once the projection of the scene or background—by the object-glass which is seen at the side of the lantern—and of the subject, by another object-glass which is shown in front of and a little above the same lantern. For this, the positions or phases which form a is not visible in the figure; then a plane mirror inclined 45°, which reflects the rays and causes them to traverse the figures filling the openings of the crown. These rays, once more by the facets of the prism of mirrors, finally enter the object-glass, which transforms the vertical central image into a real image magnified on the screen. In making the two parts of the apparatus converge slightly, the animated subject is brought into the subject are drawn and coloured on glass, and are connected in a continuous band by means of any suitable material. One of these flexible bands is placed in the wide crown of the praxinoscope, which is pierced with openings corresponding to the phases of the subject. To understand the course of the luminous rays which go to form the image, it is necessary to bear in mind the condensing lens which, placed near the flame of the lamp, middle of the background, where it then appears to gambol. A hand-lever on the foot of the instrument allows a moderate and regular rotation to be communicated. This apparatus, with an ordinary moderator lamp, supplies well-lighted pictures and curious effects. It enables us to obtain, with the greatest ease, animated projections, without requiring any special source of light, by simply utilising the lamp in daily use.
It was then modified to have mirrors in the middle ,which was not the original design.
All of the videos shown were made with the newer design of the praxinoscope.