Mutoscopes

A Mutoscope is a type of early motion picture device that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a type of flip book that used a series of photographs mounted on a rotating drum to create the illusion of motion when viewed through a peephole. Fascinated by the device, Crockwell became one of the foremost collectors of Mutoscope reels and machines in the U.S. Beginning in the late 1930s Crockwell created many reels of his own, including the Color Wheels series, Ode to David, Around the Valley, and Playboy and Dancer Reel.

In the fall of 1967 the Museum of Modern Art put on a Mutoscope exhibit that included 10 Mutoscope viewers and several reels designed by Crockwell. He appeared on both The Today Show and Camera Three to promote the exhibit.