Muybridge, Eadweard “Walking, bareback” pl. 581

Eadweard Muybridge. (1830-1904) Plate 581.  “Walking, bareback.”  (no inscription).  From Animal Locomotion. 

Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1887.  Collotype.  7 ½ x 15 ½ (image size).  Approx. 19 1/8 x 24 1/8 (paper size).  Scattered spotting with water stains in margins.  Professionally conserved.  Ref.: Frizot, p. 247. 

Eadweard Muybridge (1830- 1904) is widely considered to be one of the most influential photographers in the study of motion. The English born Muybridge traveled to California around 1852. His early romantic views of the west gained him enough acclaim.  He was approached by ex-California governor Leland Stanford to photograph his beloved horse. The principal purpose was to settle a wager based on the positioning of a horse's legs in the action of trotting, the question being whether all four hooves came off the ground at the same time. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Muybridge managed to set up a battery of cameras enabling him to record split second movements. His continuing work with animals and models in motion eventually led to his invention of the "zoopraxiscope," a moving picture machine that showed a rapid succession of images. The results were published in an epic portfolio of 781 folio prints after his photographs, Animal Locomotion. Muybridge's motion studies are considered to be a critical step in the evolution of photography to motion pictures.