Arab Horse Gallup

In the 19th century, mechanical inventions initiated an increasingly faster pace of life in the modern world. Curiosity about the mechanics of human and animal locomotion grew apace, which was satisfied by documentation with improved photographic processes and specially designed cameras.

Étienne-Jules Marey began studying the new science of physiology about 1859. He first employed graphic and electronic methods of tracing movement to better understand how the body works and how specific actions might be carried out more efficiently and effectively.

After seeing early photographic experiments with motion, Marey created a chronophotographic gun (from chronos, meaning time), which resembled a tommy gun and exposed plates in a revolving drum that recorded 12 consecutive frames per second in a single image. He photographed birds in flight, men pole-vaulting, and horses galloping, capturing their action at a level of detail not previously attainable by the human eye or other means.