The American Museum of Photography website resources, links, processes, history of course and much more. Oatmeal Box Pinhole Photography by Stewart Lewis Woodruff answers the question . . A delightful site. Take a peek and see all about the Zoetrope and how to fashion one of your own. Learn more about another form of motion at Clockwork Bodies .
Automatons have a great history of their own.
The Antique Photographic Company deals in antique and collectable cameras, stereoscopic viewers, daguerreotypes, magic lanterns and slides, early cinema items, optical toys and peepshows. Take a look. Charl Lucassen's Chronophotographical Projections , Optical Toys and Animated GIF's bring the works of Plateau, Le Prince, Muybridge and Donisthorpe into the 21st century. An incredible effort. The International Directory of Photography Historians edited by William Allen is an exhaustive resource directory.