A man called Charles Reynaud first invented the Praxinoscope in 1877, and it was the first device to overcome the distortion of pictures caused by viewing through the little moving slots. As the image produced was much better than any previous device, the Praxinoscope quickly replaced the Zoetrope in popularity.
A series of pictures or images are placed inside an outer cylinder, this is done so each picture is reflected on the inside mirrors. The number of images used must always be equal to the number of mirrors inside, so that each picture is reflected onto its own mirror. When the outer cylinder rotates, the quick motion of the images makes it so there is an illusion of all the pictures moving together to create one image.
By using this method, Reynaud found a way to transmit a series of pictures onto the screen, and he called it a ‘Theatre Optique’. The average, normal Praxinoscope can only accommodate one or two seconds of animation because of the limited amount of pictures that it actually contains. However, Reynaud used a long roll of paper increase the number of images so he was able to put on a much better show for the audience.