The distorted forms or anamorphosis was a very popular instrument during the XIX century. It consists of hidden figures appearing when projected on a reflecting surface, as a cylinder, cone or pyramid. Although the terminology "anamorphosis" was first used in the XVII century, Leonardo Da Vinci described it on his notes.

In 1838, Sir Charles Wheatstone invented the "stereoscopy" an instrument which allowed to see drawings from two different angles, giving the impression of tridemensionality. Development of photography transform the stereoscope from a simple scientific curiosity into one of the most popular "toys" of the bourgeoisie after 1850. This model is a reproduction of the one created by Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1862.

From 1st scientific toys that used animated images to modern movies, retinal persistence has been fundamental to fooling the mind into believing that a series of static images are in motion. In 1834, the English mathematician George Horner proposed an apparatus based on the phenakistoscope of Plateau and Stampfer (1830). It eliminated the need for a mirror and enabled several people at the same time to view the moving pictures.

This scientific toy with animated images also relies in retinal persistence to make us believe we are seeing images in motion. The praxinoscope was patented by the Frenchman Emile Reynaud in 1877, who was looking to overcome the deficiencies of the zoetrope, the most popular at the time. His apparatus was the first to eliminate the distorted view of the images in movement caused by insufficient light passing through the small slots of the zoetrope.