The Richard Balzer Collection Is a Halloween GIF-or-Treat

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It's Halloween, folks. That means your two weeks of costumed partying finally are drawing to end. To send off Halloween 2013 in style, this Morning Buzz is going old school -- early 19th century old school.

See also: Five Haunted Places in Arizona

Richard Balzer is fascinated with early animation technology.

He's been credited as the preserver of "the lost early animation masterpieces" , thanks to his extensive collection of 19th-century drawings, photographs, and optical devices.

For roughly 40 years, this native New Yorker has searched for and salvaged these artistic artifacts, and, in the past five years, he's curated them into a virtual museum.

Now, the works have taken on a new life, as Balzer has turned these pieces of early animation into modern-day GIFS. Available on his Tumblr, The Richard Balzer Collection, these fascinating glimpses into early illustration are as curious as they are creepy.

For a full look at these optical tricks and treats, visit dickbalzer.tumblr.com.

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