• Korean Association for Visual Culture
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• v.19
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• pp.189-221
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• 2012

This thesis investigates the development of optical instruments in the 19th century, before the birth of the cinema, and the principle of the perception of moving images. For this purpose it traces the development stages of the optical instruments which demonstrated 'illusion of movement' from 1820s when the 'persistence of vision' had begun to be researched by scientists. Then, it examines the theory of the 'persistence of vision' or 'afterimage effect' known as the principle in the perception of illusion of movement produced from moving images. The optical instruments in the 19th century that presented the illusion of movement began with the Thaumatrope (double-sided picture disc), and appeared from the Phenakistiscope/Stroboscope (revolving disc), the Zoetrope (revolving drum) and the Praxinoscope (mirror-reflexive revolving drum), and in 1892 the Projection-Praxinoscope presented firstly the moving pictures (animation) on the screen. According to the research of psychology and physiology in the early 20th century it has been recognized that the 'afterimage effect' theory is not sufficient to explain the perception of illusion of movement from the moving images which is closely related to the particularity of the visual perception system of the human eyes. Since then, the Phi-phenomenon suggested 1912 by the Gestalt psychologist, Max Wertheimer (1880-1943), is regarded as the most persuasive theory until now, although it is still imperfect.