Short answers, pulled from the story.
British filmmaker Charles Armstrong created the short subject titled The Sporting Mice in 1909. This work established an independent invention that predated global recognition of the medium.
Lotte Reiniger released her 1926 feature Die Geschichte des Prinzen Achmed as one of the oldest animated films ever created. The release sparked immediate interest across continents and influenced animators from Japan to Canada.
Paperboard figures formed the core of traditional silhouette animation often reinforced with thin metal sheets for durability. Animators tied these cutouts together at their joints using thread or wire to create movable limbs for frame-by-frame manipulation.
Contemporary animators utilize 2D vector graphics and 3D CGI rendering to replicate the classic silhouette aesthetic. Jossie Malis pioneered 2D vector animation approaches while Michel Ocelot explored 3D figures rendered as silhouettes in Earth Intruders during 2007.
Das Geheimnis der Marquisin reversed the convention entirely by presenting white silhouettes on black backgrounds instead. This production followed standard practices among feature films of that era regarding all-over color tinting for different scenes.