What was Thomas Edison’s motion-picture viewing machine called?

Thomas Edison’s motion-picture viewing machine was called the Kinetoscope.

The Kinetoscope was a cabinet containing a rapidly moving strip of film. A viewer looked through a peephole at the top and watched a short motion picture inside. It was intended for individual viewing rather than projection onto a screen.

Edison’s laboratory developed the Kinetoscope with important contributions from William Kennedy Laurie Dickson. The related Kinetograph camera recorded the images, while the Kinetoscope displayed them.

The Kinetoscope is often confused with the Kinetograph because their names are similar. The Kinetograph was the recording device; the Kinetoscope was the viewing machine. Edison’s later Vitascope was a projection system used for public screenings.