François Dominique Séraphin

François Dominique Séraphin (15 February 1747 – 5 December 1800) was a French entertainer who developed and popularised shadow plays in France.

[2][3][4] Though he started the show in humble beginnings they became such a success, including regular visits from the aristocracy,[3] that Séraphin would go on to perform at the Palace of Versailles in front of royalty.

Rather than use hidden performers moving the parts of the silhouetted puppets, Séraphin developed the use of clockwork mechanisms to automate the show.

[2] Amongst Séraphin's most popular works was Le Pont Cassé (The Broken Bridge), a play based on a musical piece by Louis-Gabriel Guillemain.

[2] Techniques used to create the shadow plays were also replicated and combined with other emerging technologies, including magic lanterns, to form phantasmagoria shows.