kitty goes round and round


Spin the phenakistiscope disk at a mirror, peek through the slits from behind, and watch the kitties leap about and the donkey's ears flap.  Want an idea of how this works?  Here's a very short video.

-- Optical Toy, Phenakistiscope Disc with Cats and Donkey, ca. 1830; hand-colored lithograph on paperboard; H x diam.: 25 × 25 cm (9 13/16 × 9 13/16 in.); Museum purchase through gift of Mrs. John Innes Kane; 1948-124-3.  Image: collections.cooperhewitt.org.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

the mimic dog

Image
public domain This is a "Mimick, or Gethulian-Dog," as recorded by Edward Topsell in his natural history of c. 1600.  It's described as "being apt to imitate all things it seeth, for which cause some have thought that it was conceived by an Ape; but in face sharpe and black like a Hedge-hog, having a short recurved body; very long legs, shaggie hair, and a short tail..."  Apparently in ancient Egypt this sort of dog was taught all manner of tricks.  Whatever breed could this have been? Topsell, Edward, 1572-1625?.  The History of Four-footed Beasts And Serpents...  The whole rev., cor. and inl. with the addition of two useful physical tables, by J[ohn] R[owland] M.D. London: Printed by E. Cotes, for G. Sawbridge [etc.], 1658. p. 127.
Read more

let's dance

Image
found at http://discardingimages.tumblr.com Start your Sunday with this trio of performers and their lovely lightness of foot and paw.  Here's a closeup: This scene is found in the manuscript known as "The Maastricht Hours" on folio 112.  Here's the whole page .  You might also enjoy this blog post on " Medieval Dog Tricks " - I did.
Read more

"the manx cat"

Image
thanks british library flickr From a slim volume of verse privately printed in 1910: (You know what's coming, right?  Bad poetry! ) THE MANX CAT by Marjorie Dyrenforth Poor tailless pussy cat! if I Were only very rich, The very first thing I would buy Would be for you a switch; And where your tail should grow, I'd try The little switch to hitch — oh, my! But what a pretty pussy cat You'd be if I could just do that! -- Dyrenforth, Marjorie. Verses. Chicago, 1910. p. 59.
Read more