The Trapeze

Émile Reynaud’s Praxinoscope strips are not only experiments in animation but also historical artefacts that showcase forms of popular entertainment from one and a half centuries ago. “The Trapeze” (1878) may appear antiquated in its subject matter today; in 1878, however, the apparatus was a modern invention. Less than two decades prior to the animated strip, Jules Léotard performed the first trapeze circus act in 1859. In the absence of live-action moving images, this short work functions as an early documentary form, popularising contemporary trends. Reynaud used his invention to document the modernity of his own age, thus positioning moving images as capable of recording history.