The Invention of the Diorama-Daguerre and Bouton

In 1822 Louis Daguerre , a painter and stage decorator, along with painter Charles Marie Bouton, invented "realistic illusion shows" or Dioramas.  Together they opened The Diorama in Paris a venue to show their large scale panorama paintings, with special light effects.

woodcut of The Diorama Paris, c. 1830

With light, forced perspective and a couple cranks of moving mechanisms, Daguerre and Bouton turned paintings into moving scenes.

Painting: Ruins in Fog, Charles Bouton c.1823

Here is a video recreation of the Daguerre and Bouton Diorama. Although, the video is in French (without subtitles)-it requires very little translation, as it visually demonstrates the technique that Daguerre and Bouton invented, which is clearly the precursor to modern cinema.