Camera battery used by Eadweard Muybridge for motion photography, ca. 1875
This photograph from around 1875 represents a turning point in the history of photography and a breakthrough in the effort to freeze and study motion in technological images. At first sight, this image may look like nothing more than a black-and-white snapshot of a kind of utilitarian shed. In fact, it shows a camera setup developed by English photographer Eadweard Muybridge to capture the motion of horses. This setup consisted of many cameras lined up along a track for the horses. As a horse trotted or raced by this building, it tripped wires connected to the cameras inside, which took several photographs in rapid succession. The resulting photographs captured the movement of the horse, isolated in sequential frames that revealed what the naked eye could not see. It is through these photographs that people were first able to see the moment when a horse’s hooves are tucked underneath its body and the animal is completely aloft for a brief moment. The capture of the horse in the air would not have been possible without Muybridge’s technique because photographic technology at the time was not fast enough to achieve such a task.
Eadweard Muybridge not only captured the motion of the horse, but also of other animals and humans. Some of his most notable work includes photographing both nude and clothed subjects to capture precisely how the human body moves. Muybridge also invented the zoopraxiscope, a device that shows a series of still photographs in rapid succession, creating the illusion of motion. He used this device in presentations to show the public motion as they had not seen it before. Muybridge’s stop motion technique was a turning point in the technological development of photography and was an important predecessor for the motion-picture industry.
Eadweard Muybridge not only captured the motion of the horse, but also of other animals and humans. Some of his most notable work includes photographing both nude and clothed subjects to capture precisely how the human body moves. Muybridge also invented the zoopraxiscope, a device that shows a series of still photographs in rapid succession, creating the illusion of motion. He used this device in presentations to show the public motion as they had not seen it before. Muybridge’s stop motion technique was a turning point in the technological development of photography and was an important predecessor for the motion-picture industry.