66 31 August 2019I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113Legendsof photographyFora figurewhose
careerwasdefinedby
hispioneeringwork
inmotion,it’sironic
thatEadweardMuybridge’s
entryintothefieldcameabout
asa resultofhisbeingviolently
thrownthroughtheairduring
a devastingstagecoachcrash.
Hisresultingheadinjuries
meantthathehada lotof
timetokillduringhislengthy
recuperation.Atthetimeofhis
accident,Muybridgewasinthe
USona questtosecuresome
antiquarianbooks,ashewas,
duringthisperiodofhislife,
a bookseller.Hisinjuriesmade
it impossible to continue withEadweardMuybridgehiswork(hewassubjectto
doublevision,impairedsenses
andconfusedthinking)and
afterovera yearrecoveringin
theUS,hetravelledbackto
England,hiscountryofbirth.
What’sinterestingis that
uponhisreturn,theresulting
braindamageseemedtoalter
hispersonality.Hebecame
moreemotionalandeccentric,
andyet,hisfriendssuggested,
freerinhisexpressionof
creativeimpulses.It was
duringtheearly1860sthat
Muybridgetookupthestill-
fledglingfieldofprofessional
photographyandmasteredthe
art of the wet-plate collodion.ina machine.It was,toall
intentsandpurposes,a
precursortomotionpictures
andcinematography.
Muybridgecontinuedhis
motionstudiesthroughout
thefollowingyears(andfound
himselfina heapof trouble
whenheshotandkilledhis
wife’slover,thoughhewas
acquittedonthegroundsof
‘justifiablehomicide).Wesee
anexampleofhislaterwork
here,oneofmanystudiestaken
ofthehumanforminmotion.
Inthiscase,it’sintheconflict
sportofbare-knuckleboxing.
It’sanimagetakenfromwhat
wemayconsiderMuybridge’s
magnumopus,Animal
Locomotion, from1899,the
sameextensiveprojectthat
gavebirthtohishorseimages.
Muybridgereturnedto
Englandin 1894 wherehe
madea livinglecturingand
publishinghisground-breaking
work.However,helaterdied
on8 May 1904 ofprostate
canceratthehomeofhiscousin
CatherineSmith.It’sanalmost
mundaneendtoa manwhose
workwasunparalleled,
visionaryand,tothis day,
utterly relevant.TheEnglish-Americanpioneerofmotionphotographyhelpeduslearnabout locomotion, saysOliver AtwellMuybridgereturnedto
Americain 1867 wherehe
madea nameforhimselfwith
hisepiclandscapeimagery
takeninYosemiteValleyand
theareasaroundSanFrancisco.
Theimagesarenotablefor
theirabsolutegrandeurand
Muybridgetookgreatphysical
riskincapturingthem.These
werepioneeringphotographs.
However,it wasin 1872 that
hiscareertooka realturn.The
formergovernorofCalifornia,
LelandStanford,wanted
somethingcleareduponceand
forall:whena horsegallops
ortrots,is thereanyinstance
whereallfourhoovesareoff
thegroundatthesametime?
HeturnedtoMuybridgeto
answerthequestion.
Aftersomeexperimentation,
suchasarranging 12 cameras
tophotographa gallopinghorse
insequence,Muybridgewas
abletoperfecthistechnique
andshowona singlenegative
that,yes,horsesdobriefly leave
thegroundwhilerunning.
Later,hewentonestagefurther
andinventeda devicecalleda
‘zoopraxiscope’wherethesingle
imagescouldbecopiedontoa
disc as silhouettes and viewedSCIENCE HISTORY IMAGES/AL AMY
© GETTY IMAGES
Muybridge’s
12-framemotion
pictureoftwomen
boxing, 1887