A multi-stable electrophoretic display device has a plurality of pixels and comprises a first substrate and a second substrate. The substrates are spaced apart from each other and enclose a layer of an electrophoretic medium comprising a liquid crystal material having finely divided pigment particles dispersed therein. The device further comprises electrodes for formation of a pixel area outline and applying an electric field across at least some of the electrophoretic medium in the pixel area. The electrodes occupy substantially less than the entire field of view of the display pixels and can be used to effect switching between a first optical state in which most incident light on a pixel does not impinge on a pigment particle, and a second optical state in which most incident light on a pixel impinges on pigment particles.