Simon Ritter von Stampfer (26 October 1792 (according to other sources 1790)), in Windisch-Mattrai,Archbishopric of Salzburg, today calledMatrei in Osttirol,Tyrol – 10 November 1864 inVienna) was anAustrianmathematician,surveyor andinventor. His most famous invention is that of the stroboscopic disk which has a claim to be the first device to show moving images. Almost simultaneously, a similar device was developed inBelgium (thephenakistiscope).
Simon Ritter von Stampfer was born inMatrei in Osttirol, and was the first son of Bartlmä Stampfer, aweaver. From 1801 he attended the local school and in 1804 and moved to the Franciscan Gymnasium inLienz, where he studied until 1807. From there he went to the Lyceum in Salzburg, to study philosophy, however he was not assessed.
In 1814 in Munich, he passed the state examination and applied there as a teacher. He chose, however, to stay in Salzburg, where he was assistant teacher in mathematics, natural history, physics and Greek at the high school. He then moved to the Lyceum, where he taught elementary mathematics, physics and applied mathematics . In 1819 he was also appointed a professor. In his spare time he madegeodetic measurements, astronomical observations, experiments on the propagation speed of sound at different heights and measurements using thebarometer. Stampfer was often to be seen in theBenedictine Monastery of Kremsmünster which had numerous pieces of astronomical equipment available.
In 1822, von Stampfer married Johanna Wagner. They had a daughter in 1824 (Maria Aloysia Johanna) and in 1825 a son (Anton Josef Simon).
After several unsuccessful applications, in Innsbruck, Stampfer was finally promoted to full professor of pure mathematics in Salzburg. However, at the Polytechnic Institute in Vienna, he was also promoted to the Chair of Practical Geometry. He settled there in December 1825 to replaceFranz Josef von Gerstner. He now taught Practical geometry, but was also employed as a physicist and astronomer. He produced a method for the computation ofsolar eclipses.
He was concerned about his astronomical work with lenses and their accuracy and distortion. This led him to the field ofoptical illusions. In 1828, he developed test methods for telescopes and methods of measurement to determine the "Krümmungshalbmesser" of lenses and the refractive and dispersion property of the glass. For his work on the theoretical foundations of the production of high quality optics, he turned to the achromaticFraunhofer lens.
One of his most famous students include Christian Doppler, known for his work in the Doppler Effect
In 1832, Stampfer became aware through theJournal of Physics and Mathematics of experiments by the British physicist,Michael Faraday, on the optical illusion caused by rapidly rotating gears, in which the human eye could not follow the movement of the gear. He was so impressed that he conducted similar experiments with intermittent views through the openings between the teeth of slotted cardboard wheels. From these experiments he eventually developed hisStroboscopische Scheiben (optische Zauberscheiben) (Stroboscopic Discs, or optical magic discs, or simplyStroboscope ), coining the term as a combination of theAncient Greek words στρόβος - strobos, meaning "whirlpool" and σκοπεῖν - skopein, meaning "to look at". In a pamphlet published in July 1833, Stampfer mentioned that the sequence of images could be placed on either a disc, a cylinder (much like theZoetrope, introduced in 1866) or longer scenes on a looped strip of paper or canvas stretched around two parallel rollers (somewhat similar to film on spools). A disc with pictures could be viewed though a slotted disc on the other side of an axis, but Stampfer found spinning one disc with slots as well as pictures in front of a mirror more simple. He also suggested covering up the view of all but one of the moving figures with a cut-out sheet of cardboard and painting theatrical coulisses and backdrops around the cut-out part (somewhat similar to the later Praxinoscope-Theatre).[1] The patent for the invention also mentions the option of transparent versions. Stampfer and lithographer Mathias Trentsensky chose to publish the invention in the shape of a disc to be viewed in a mirror.[2]
Belgian scientistJoseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau had been developing a very similar device for some time and finally published about what would later be named theFantascope orPhénakisticope in January 1833 in a Belgian scientific periodical, illustrated with a plate of the device.[3] Plateau mentioned in 1836 that he thought it difficult to state the exact time when he got the idea, but he believed he was first able to successfully assemble his invention in December. He stated to trust the assertion of Stampfer to have started his experiments at the same time, which soon resulted in the discovery of the stroboscopic animation principle.[4] Both Stampfer and Plateau have a claim to be the founding father ofCinema. Most cited with this honour however is Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau.[5]
Stampfer received the imperial privilege No. 1920 for his invention on 7 May 1833 :
The device was developed by the Viennese art dealersTrentsensky & Vieweg and commercially marketed. The first edition was published in May 1833[6] and was soon sold out, so that in July a second, improved edition appeared.[7]
His "stroboscopic discs" became known outside of Austria, and it was from this that the term "stroboscopic effect" arose.
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