RIP VAN WINKLE MUTOSCOPE

Washington Irving’s 1819 short story “Rip Van Winkle,” the tale of a Dutch-American bewitched into slumber for 20 years during a ghostly game of ninepin bowling, was one of the first mentions of the game in American literature. Such stories were integral to the construction of a shared cultural mythology, and Irving’s story of bowling in Colonial America helped to embed the sport into American life. The story has been told countless times and was even available on the Mutoscope, an early form of moving picture. Take a peek at the timeless story told through the device.