1878
The Horse in Motion
Eadweard Muybridge
“The Horse in Motion” visually dissected a gallop, pioneering motion capture and influencing future camera technologies.
Eadweard Muybridge's 1878 sequence 'The Horse in Motion' introduced motion capture, setting a precedent in both art and science. This series captured a galloping horse with such clarity that it resolved a longstanding debate by showing all four of the horse's hooves off the ground simultaneously.
Employing a revolutionary technique, Muybridge set up 12 cameras along a track, each triggered by a trip wire activated by the horse’s own motion. This setup utilised the rapid, yet precise wet plate collodion process. The crisp detail and sequential exposure of Muybridge's photographs offered a new visual understanding of dynamic movement, previously a blur to the human eye.
This breakthrough not only expanded the capabilities of photographic technology but also laid foundational techniques that spurred the development of faster shutter systems and the motion picture camera. Moreover, "The Horse in Motion" had profound implications for both scientific research and the arts, providing a tool for the detailed study of biomechanics and animal locomotion.
From the caption area of the image:
Left: Copyright, 1878, by MUYBRIDGE. Right: MORSE'S Gallery, 417 Montgomery Street, San Francisco.
THE HORSE IN MOTION. Illustrated by MUYBRIDGE. AUTOMATIC ELECTRO-PHOTOGRAPH.
"SALLIE GARDNER," owned by LELAND STANFORD; running at a 1.40 gait over the Palo Alto track, 19th June, 1878.
The negatives of these photographs were made at intervals of twenty-seven inches of distance, and about the twenty-fifth part of a second of time; they illustrate consecutive positions assumed in each twenty-seven inches of progress during a single stride of the mare. The vertical lines were twenty-seven inches apart; the horizontal lines represent elevations of four inches each. The exposure of each negative was less than the two-thousandth part of a second.
KEY REFERENCE POINTS
TECHNICAL: 12-camera track setup・trip-wire shutter trigger・wet plate collodion process・albumen print on card・sequential multi-frame exposure・b&w film copy negative
INFLUENCE: First photographic proof of unsupported transit・resolved hooves-airborne debate・precursor to motion picture camera・advanced fast shutter development・Library of Congress archive
ANALYTICAL: Decomposed continuous motion into discrete frames・revealed movement invisible to the human eye・established sequential photography as scientific method・biomechanics and animal locomotion research tool
CULTURAL IMPACT: Redefined relationship between photography and time・bridged science and visual art・foundational reference in cinema history・reshaped how motion is depicted in art and illustration
ARCHIVAL RECORD
CREDIT: Muybridge, Eadweard (1878)
AUTHOR: Muybridge, Eadweard
TITLE: The Horse in Motion
DATE: 19 June 1878
ARCHIVE: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
SOURCE: Library of Congress, No known restrictions on publication
ORIGINAL: Reproduction, digital file from original item, b&w film copy neg.
AVAILABLE INFORMATION: 1 photographic print on card: albumen. Photograph with twelve frames showing motion of a race horse.
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