Plate Number 133. Descending stairs and throwing handkerchief over shoulders

Art Historical Context

Step into the groundbreaking world of motion photography with *Plate Number 133. Descending stairs throwing handkerchief over shoulders* Eadweard Muy, created in 1887. This collotype print, measuring 23.2 × 31.1 cm, captures a nude female figure in sequential motion—a hallmark of Muybridge's *Animal Locomotion* series Funded partly by Leland Stanford, these 781 plates dissected human and animal movement using multiple cameras triggered in rapid succession, shattering myths about how bodies move and laying the groundwork for cinema. Muybridge's chronophotography technique synchronized up to 24 cameras with electro-mechanical shutters, freezing split-second actions onto glass plates before printing them as precise collotypes. This medium allowed for richly detailed reproductions, making complex studies accessible to scientists, artists, and the public. Here, the graceful descent and fluid handkerchief toss reveal natural gait and arm swing, challenging classical ideals of anatomy. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Corcoran Collection, this piece underscores Muybridge's 19th-century innovation, blending art and science to redefine visual perception. It's a captivating glimpse into how photography unlocked the invisible rhythm of life. (198 words)

About the Artist

Eadweard Muybridge · 1830–1904

Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) was an English-American photographer who revolutionized the understanding of motion through his pioneering chronophotographic studies. Born Edward James Muggeridge in Kingston upon Thames, England, he emigrated to America and became famous first for his dramatic landscape photographs of Yosemite Valley, then for his groundbreaking motion studies that proved horses li...