A NEW PROCESS FOR OBTAINING IN VIRTUAL EFFECTS OR MOTIONS THE ANIMATION OF DRAWN FIGURES BY THE HELP OF Two IMAGES COMBINED, IN ORDER TO REPRESENT THE TWO EXTREME POSITIONS OF A MOTION APPEARING AND DISAPPEARING IN TURN BEFORE THE EYES
Year: 1874

page_text: .
LETTERS PATENT to Antoine Ray, Grove House, Clapham Common,
S.W., for the Invention of "A NEW PROCESS FOR OBTAINING IN VIRTUAL
EFFECTS OR MOTIONS THE ANIMATION OF DRAWN FIGURES BY THE HELP OF
Two IMAGES COMBINED, IN ORDER TO REPRESENT THE TWO EXTREME POSITIONS
OF A MOTION APPEARING AND DISAPPEARING IN TURN BEFORE THE EYES." -A
communication from abroad by André David, of Saint Etienne, Loire,
France.
Sealed the 7th July 1874, and dated the 8th January 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Antoine Ray at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th January 1874.
I, ANTOINE RAY, Grove House, Clapham Common, S.W., do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW PROCESS FOR
OBTAINING IN VIRTUAL EFFECTS OR MOTIONS THE ANIMATION OF DRAWN FIGURES BY
THE HELP OF TWO IMAGES COMBINED, IN ORDER TO REPRESENT THE Two EXTREME
POSITIONS OF A MOTION APPEARING AND DISAPPEARING IN TURN BEFORE THE EYES,"
to be as follows:-
'
The principle of the said Invention rests on the possibility of observing
virtual life-like motions of images or plates by means of two combined

page_text: images, which appearing and disappearing in turn produce a delusive
motion either of a substance of some kind or other, or of persons or
mechanical machines. The practical utility of this discovery rests on
the possibility given, by example, to a teacher explaining the motion of
a mechanism, to make the work itself of the mechanism follow the
demonstration by showing to his hearers, by an illusion, the apparatus
really working, though the latter be only drawn. One can also obtain
with my system of two combined images appearing and disappearing in
turn a new stereoscope, which I may call animated stereoscope, in which
persons or objects may be seen moving.
I obtain the animation by means of the alternate appearing and dis-
appearing of the two images, the one appearing when the impression of
the other after its disappearance is still subsisting on the retina; thence
virtual motion from the moment the two images are combined in such a
manner as to express the two extreme positions of a motion. Thus, for
example, one of the two images representing a fencer parrying, and the
other that same fencer entirely lunging, those two images in juxta-
position, being superposed by means of the lenses of the stereoscope,
move and present the illusion of the motion of a fencer lunging and then
parrying from the moment that both of those images are alternately
hidden by means of an opaque and moveable screen working either by
the aid of a pendulum or otherwise.
If those two images, instead of being on two plates in juxtaposition
seen through a stereoscope that unites them, are drawn on one plate
superposed the one on the other, the same effect of animation and motion
is obtained without any other instrument but a screen placed between
the eyes and the plate, moved in the necessary timed motion so that it
may produce the eclipses and the apparitions of each image alternately;
but, in order to make that fact possible, I must add that one of the
images is produced in coloured lines, in red for example, and the other
superposed to it in green, and that the screen is also divided in two parts,
one in red glass or transparent colour, the other in green. When one
looks through the red part of the screen the red image is annihilated,
and the green image appears, and vice versa when one is looking through
the green transparent. These eclipses rest on the principle of coloured
transparents allowing rays of their own colour only to pass.
My process could be applied to the magic lantern in order to give
life to its personnages.

page_text: In a topographical plate one can equally by means of transparents of
different colours placed on it hide certain lines traced in certain colours,
and allow only those one wants specially to observe to be seen.
this case there would be only a momentary eclipse, but no animation.
In
.
2
With the aid of screens furnished with coloured transparents we can
obtain not only rectilinear and oscillating motions, but also circular,
motions, producing for example the illusion of a whirling wheel, provided
the circonference of that wheel be painted in different colours, and
the screen with corresponding colours be worked in such a manner
so that it produces apparitions and eclipses in the limit of the
duration of the vision of the eclipsed parts on the retina. The animation
of certain figures prepared ad hoc can still be obtained by means of
coloured or non-coloured glass solids moved about without eclipses on
these plates.
5 SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Antoine Ray in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th July 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANTOINE
RAY, of Grove House, Clapham Common, S.W., send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
.Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Antoine Ray, Her special
licence that I, the said Antoine Ray, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Antoine Ray, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A NEW PROCESS
OF OBTAINING IN VIRTUAL EFFECTS OR MOTIONS THE ANIMATION OF DRAWN
FIGURES BY THE AID OF TWO IMAGES COMBINED, IN ORDER TO REPRESENT THE TWO

page_text: EXTREME POSITIONS OF A MOTION APPEARING & DISAPPEARING IN TURN BEFORE
THE EYES," a communication to me from abroad by André David, of
Saint Etienne, Loire, France, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Antoine Ray, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Antoine Ray, do hereby declare ]
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
-
The principle of my Invention rests on the possibility of observing virtual
life-like motions of images or plates by means of two combined images,
which appearing and disappearing in turn produce a delusive motion,
either of a substance of some kind or other of persons or mechanical
machines. The practical utility of this discovery rests on the possibility
given, for example, to a teacher explaining the motion of a mechanism
to make the work itself of the mechanism follow the demonstration, by
showing to his hearers by an illusion the apparatus really working,
though the latter be only drawn. With my system of two combined
images appearing and disappearing in turn I can obtain a new
stereoscope, which I may call an animated stereoscope, in which the
persons or objects may be seen moving.
I obtain the animation by means of the alternate appearing and dis-
appearing of the two images, the one appearing when the impression of
the other after its disappearance is still subsisting on the retina; thence
virtual motion from the moment the two images are combined in such
a manner as to express the two extreme positions of a motion.
Fig. 1 & 2 of the accompanying Drawing represent the two instru-
ments required for the observation of the animated plates, namely, a
screen stereoscope and a moveable screen with coloured glasses.
Fig. 3, 4, & 5 represent images to be observed, and are given as illus-
trations. In Fig. 1, for example, one of the two images represents a
fencer parrying, and the other that same fencer entirely lunging; those

page_text: two images in juxtaposition being superposed by means of the lenses of
the stereoscope move and present the illusion of the motion of a fencer
lunging and then parrying from the moment that both of these images
are alternately hidden by means of an opaque and moveable screen
working either by the aid of a pendulum or otherwise.
If those two images, instead of being on two plates in juxtaposition
seen through a stereoscope that unites them, are drawn on one plate, as
in Fig. 3, superposed one on the other, the same effect of animation &
motion is obtained without any other instrument but a screen (Fig. 2)
placed between the eyes and the plate, moved in the necessary timed
motion, so that it may produce the eclipses and the apparitions of each
image alternately; but in order to render that fact possible I must add
that one of the images is produced in coloured lines, in red for example,
and the other superposed to it in green, and that the screen is also
divided into two parts, one in red transparent colour glass, the other in
green. When one looks through the red part of the screen the red
image is annihilated, and the green image appears, and vice versà when
one looks through the green transparent. These eclipses rest on the
principle of coloured transparents allowing all rays but those of their
own colour to pass.
My process could be applied to the magic lantern in order to give life
to its personnages.
In a topographical plate one can equally by means of transparents of
different colours placed on it hide certain lines traced in certain colours,
and allow only those one wants to observe specially to be seen. In that
case there would be only a momentary eclipse, but no animation.
With the aid of screens furnished with coloured transparents I can
obtain not only rectilinear and oscillating motions (as in Fig. 4), but
also circular motions (Fig. 5) producing for example the illusion of a
whirling wheel, provided the circumference of that wheel be painted in
different colours, and the screen with corresponding colours be worked
in such a manner that it produces apparitions and eclipses in the limit
of the duration of the vision of the eclipsed parts on the retina.
By aid of these coloured glass transparents or simply of thin coloured
plates of gelatine placed between the eye and the drawing, or even on the
drawing itself, a figure may be seen under different aspects, though without