Ottomar Anschütz

Ottomar Anschütz (German, 1846–1907) took over his father’s photography studio in Lissa, Posen (today Poland) in 1868. From 1882 onwards he mostly focused on developing what he called Momentphotographie (instant photography). In the same year he produced the first usable focal-plane shutter. In 1888 Anschütz opened a branch in Berlin and chose to live there permanently. He developed the projecting electrotachyscope (Schnellseher), a prototype for the cinematograph. Some of his apparatuses were exhibited publicly in Berlin and could be set in motion by inserting coins. In these, his chronophotographs were mounted onto a spinning glass disc and could be turned optically into images of movement (Bewegungsbilder). The electrotachyscope was produced by Siemens & Halske in Berlin and was a particular attraction at the Chicago World Fair in 1893.