Animal Locomotion

Eadweard Muybridge’ reputation as a landscape photographer was established by his fine views of Yosemite, California’s national park of outstanding natural scenery. His name today is mainly associated with the photography of movement. During 1884-1885 Muybridge took more than 20.000 photographs of men, women, children, animals and birds in almost every conceivable type of movement. He was able to take advantage of the new dry plates, which produced toned photographs of much clearer definition. This time Muybridge added the device of a motor clock, which permitted three different views of the same scene to be taken at the same time. The results were published in a monumental work of 781 folio-sized plates entitled Animal Locomotion (1887). It is the most comprehensive analysis of movement ever undertaken and is still used widely today as a source of illustration and for reference.