Thaumatropes

Tutorial created by Kiarra Burd, with help from Rebekah Stretch, Jane Nederlof, Kavita Premkumar, Kalea Raposo, Lucie von Schilling and Anne Hung

Online tutorial created by Priscilla Adebanji

Lauded for their simplicity and accessibility during the Victorian period, thaumatropes found distinction in the category of ‘philosophical toys’ commonly advertised to scientists and young boys alike. The thaumatrope gets its name from the Greek words θαύμα (THAV-mah) and τρέπω (TREP-poh), which roughly translates into English as ‘wonder’ and ‘to turn’, respectively. Like other optical toys from the period, thaumatropes were created based upon the scientific principle that the eye can only process optical impressions at a rate of ⅛ per second. Though thaumatropes were apparently created by Sir John Herschell in 1826 according to Will Day of The Illustrated London News, Victorian society primarily became aware of these illusory objects after they were sold by Dr. John Ayton Paris at the library of the Royal Institution of Britain.

While thaumatropes gained prominence in scientific circles and were demonstrated at many different symposiums and exhibitions, many also commended them for their literary and philosophical appeal. By the mid-18th century, books on how to make optical toys were lumped together with classic literature as appropriate gifts for the maturing mind; for instance, an 1858 edition of The Illustrated London News recommends Ebenezer Landell’s Boy’s Own Toy-Maker as a Christmas gift for young children alongside the novels of Dickens, Defoe, and Swift. Additionally, making thaumatropes was seen as a literary opportunity because their crafters “bec[a]me at once poets and illustrators of their own works” (John Bull). Now it’s your turn to do the same!

Thanks to the thaumatrope’s elegant simplicity, it can likely be made with items found around the house. For this tutorial, I sourced all my materials from previous craft attempts.

Want to learn more about this craft? Click here for a list of scholarly readings, blogs and websites, instructional videos, extant examples, and 19th-century tutorials.

To read some makers’ reflections on this craft, and to see what they made, click here.

Rossetti thaumatropes made by Kiarra Burd. Artwork via Art-Prints-On-Demand and Birmingham Museums

You will need

A glue stick, a pencil, a pen, an eraser, a pair of scissors, a box-cutter, a jar lid, and two pieces of maroon ribbon

A sheet of paper

Gluestick or Mod Podge
Scissors / paper scalpel / box cutter (If you are young, please get permission or supervision from an adult when using these sharp objects!)
A circular object (I used the lid of a mason jar, but a round glass would work just as well)
Ribbon or string
Thin cardboard
A black pen

Some optional tools and materials that are useful depending on how you decide to approach your thaumatrope are:

Hole puncher
Pencil
Printer
Eraser

For Instructors: Visit our Crafting in the Classroom page for information on embodied learning, or click here for further resources about this craft.

There are many different approaches to making a thaumatrope, especially considering technological advancements made since the Victorian era. Depending on your artistic skills, you may decide to either draw your thaumatrope image by hand, or print out an image you wish to use. I chose to print out an image found in an 1881 edition of Boy’s Own Paper of a bird in a cage, the most common subject for the thaumatrope.

Step 1 (Printed Method):

After you have decided on a subject for your thaumatrope—arguably the most difficult part of the process—print out your chosen images on a sheet of paper, then use your circular object to trace around each image. Make sure that each image is in the centre of the circle. Also, leave ample space in between the two images so that you can trace the same sized circles around each without them overlapping, as seen in the image below:

Images of a bird and a cage drawn inside separate circles

Step 1 (Drawn method):

If you decide to draw your image by hand, use the black pen and your circular object to draw two circles on one sheet of paper and your piece of cardboard before you sketch your image (see the following photo). Don’t worry about making the circles perfect, because you can always trim them after they are glued onto their cardboard base. Once you have traced your circles, use your pencil or pen to draw an image in the centre of the two circles on the paper.

Circle drawn on cardboard and two equally sized circles drawn on paper

The Victorian periodical press recommended a variety of subjects: for instance, an 1825 edition of John Bull suggests “A Horse, with a man on the reverse,” a leafless branch on one side and its missing leaves on the other, or a man’s head on one side and a wig on the other. Overall, the most common image during the Victorian period was a bird and a cage. Regardless, this is your project, so feel free to get creative! A vase and a bouquet of flowers, a fishbowl and an aquatic friend, or a frog on a lilypad will do just fine. The most important part to consider is how each image lines up, so take care to consider their position on the paper relative to the other.

Step 2:

Once you have your images drawn out, cut along the circular lines to separate the images from the paper using your scissors, paper scalpel, or box cutter. Also cut out the cardboard circle, which will act as the base for both of these images. Without the cardboard, the paper has a tendency to curl when the glue is applied, and may tear once you add the holes and attempt to spin it, so make sure not to skip this step! Any piece of thin leftover cardboard will do.

The cut out versions of the circles containing the bird and cage images, respectively. The cardboard circle has also been cut out

Step 3:

Now that you have isolated your images, you are ready to glue them to the cardboard. Apply glue to one side of the cardboard cutout and fasten your first image to the piece of cardboard. Next, flip your other image upside down and fasten it to the other side. When the thaumatrope revolves, the rotations will show them the right way up. Try to make sure that the image is not crooked, or it will look a bit wonky during rotations. Leave it to dry for about a minute before moving onto the next step to make sure that the images don’t slide around. Using Mod Podge to secure the image onto the cardboard could also be a good alternative.

Close up image of a thaumatrope (with the cage image) being hole-punched

Step 4:

Now it is time to add holes to your thaumatrope so that you can fasten your string or ribbon to it. To make sure that you place the holes evenly, feel free to use a ruler and make small marks across from one another on the same side of your disc . If you do not have a hole puncher, you can also use a sharp pencil or a pushpin and very gently push it through the paper and cardboard. This will be more difficult if your cardboard is on the thicker side, so take your time with this step! Also, make sure that you leave about ½ an inch margin from the edge of the thaumatrope, so that it won’t tear when you spin it.

Thaumatrope with holes punched on either side

Step 5:

Next, grab your ribbon or string and cut out two pieces around 17 inches in length. (If your ribbon/string looks longer than the ones in the photo, that’s because the ones in the photo were cut too short—you’re doing fine!). Cutting them any shorter than 17 inches will make the ribbon very difficult to tie after you loop them through the holes, so the longer the better. Now tie each end of the ribbon/string into a knot, as seen below.

Complete thaumatrope, featuring a bird cage graphic and maroon ribbons tied on either side

Once you have threaded and tied your ribbon/string through each of the holes, you have successfully completed your thaumatrope! To spin the thaumatrope, hold each end of the ribbon/string with your index finger and thumb and twist at a moderate pace. With the right amount of spinning, the two images should look as though they are one!

Bird and Cage Thaumatrope

Advanced Method:

Once you have mastered the basic concept of creating a thaumatrope, feel free to try out different techniques. For instance, one of my thaumatropes was created by printing out Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Proserpine and carefully separating the pomegranate she holds in the image. When it spins, the pomegranate looks like it is put back into the painting! The result can be seen in the video below:

Thaumatrope featuring a painting by Rossetti

Templates

Please send us your own work-in-progress and/or finished creations! Email us at craftyvictorians@gmail.com, tweet us @craftyvictorian, or connect with us on Instagram @crafty_victorians.