■ VFX AtlasAtlas of Visual Effects
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Decade 01 / 21

1820s

6 effects · The decade marks introduction, breakthrough or wide use

  • 01

    Heliography

    1827, photographic starting point

  • 02

    Kaleidoscope

    Invented in 1816; museum object from 1820; later photography and VJ culture

  • 03

    Thaumatrope

    1825, popularized by John Ayrton Paris

  • 04

    Diorama Light Change

    1822, Louis Daguerre and Charles Bouton's Diorama theatre

  • 05

    Lithophane

    1820s; patented in France by Paul de Bourgoing in 1827

  • 06

    Steel Engraving

    1820s onwards, steel-plate book illustrations

1830s →
LETZ.AI

504 effects — 321 historical, 183 machine. Dates mark introduction, breakthrough or wide use, not always invention.

The History of Visual Effects · 1820–2026

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