Plate Number 132. Descending stairs, turning to look around and waving hand

1887

Eadweard Muybridge

Associated Names
Eadweard Muybridge

Artist, American, born England, 1830 - 1904

This is a photograph of a series of motion studies. This series consists of sixteen small black and white frames arranged in two rows, capturing the sequential motion of a figure descending a staircase. Each frame shows the figure in a slightly different pose, illustrating the progression of movement from the top to the bottom of the steps. The background is consistent throughout, with horizontal lines accentuating the movement. This is a study of movement and time, demonstrating an early attempt at capturing motion in a static medium.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    collotype

  • Credit Line

    Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase, 1887)

  • Dimensions

    image: 16.9 × 43.6 cm (6 5/8 × 17 3/16 in.)
    sheet: 47.9 × 60.4 cm (18 7/8 × 23 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2014.79.181

  • Series Title

    Animal Locomotion: An Electro-Photographic Investigation of Consecutive Phases of Animal Movements

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Eadweard Muybridge, Philadelphia, PA; purchased by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1887; acquired by NGA, 2014.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

printed, lower center underneath image in black ink: ANIMAL LOCOMOTION. PLATE. 132 / Copyright, 1887, by EADWEARD MUYBRIDGE. All rights reserved.; on verso, by Corcoran Gallery of Art, lower left in red pencil: 87.7.132

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