Plate Number 770. American eagle flying near the ground

1887

Eadweard Muybridge

Associated Names
Eadweard Muybridge

Artist, American, born England, 1830 - 1904

This is a photograph showing the sequential flapping motion of a bird's wings in flight. The image displays a series of individual frames arranged in rows, each depicting the bird at a different phase of its wing motion. The detailed capture of motion illustrates the mechanics of the bird in flight. The bird is shown against a plain background, with each stage slightly shifted in position, suggesting movement. The frames provide an analytical look at the study of motion, similar to early motion studies of animals.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    collotype

  • Credit Line

    Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase, 1887)

  • Dimensions

    image: 28.58 × 27.94 cm (11 1/4 × 11 in.)
    sheet: 47.63 × 60.33 cm (18 3/4 × 23 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2014.79.693

  • 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. 770 / Copyright, 1887, by EADWEARD MUYBRIDGE. All rights reserved.; on verso, by Corcoran Gallery of Art, lower left in red pencil: 87.7.678

You may be interested in

Loading Results