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The Male and Female Figure in Motion: 60 Classic Photographic Sequences
Sixty of the best, most representative sequences from original 5,000 prints. Taken at speeds up to 1/6000th of a second, incredibly precise images show undraped male and female subjects against a ruled background, running, walking, leaping, twisting, throwing, many other activities. Views from front, rear and three-quarter angle.
121 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 1984
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About the author
Eadweard Muybridge
78 books16 followersEadweard James Muybridge (/ˌɛdwərd ˈmaɪbrɪdʒ/; 9 April 1830 – 8 May 1904, birth name Edward James Muggeridge) was an English photographer important for his pioneering work in photographic studies of motion, and early work in motion-picture projection. He adopted the name Eadweard Muybridge, believing it to be the original Anglo-Saxon form of his name.
He emigrated to the United States as a young man and became a bookseller. He returned to England in 1861 and took up professional photography, learning the wet-plate collodion process, and secured at least two British patents for his inventions. He went back to San Francisco in 1867, and in 1868 his large photographs of Yosemite Valley made him world famous. Today, Muybridge is known for his pioneering work on animal locomotion in 1877 and 1878, which used multiple cameras to capture motion in stop-motion photographs, and his zoopraxiscope, a device for projecting motion pictures that pre-dated the flexible perforated film strip used in cinematography.
He travelled for more than a year in Central America on a photographic expedition in 1875.
In the 1880s, Muybridge entered a very productive period at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, producing over 100,000 images of animals and humans in motion, capturing what the human eye could not distinguish as separate movements. He spent much of his later years giving public lectures and demonstrations of his photography and early motion picture sequences, traveling back to England and Europe to publicise his work. He also edited and published compilations of his work, which greatly influenced visual artists and the developing fields of scientific and industrial photography. He returned to his native England permanently in 1894, and in 1904, the Kingston Museum, containing a collection of his equipment, was opened in his hometown.
Influence:
According to an exhibition at Tate Britain, "His influence has forever changed our understanding and interpretation of the world, and can be found in many diverse fields, from Marcel Duchamp's painting Nude Descending a Staircase and countless works by Francis Bacon, to the blockbuster film The Matrix and Philip Glass's opera The Photographer."
Étienne-Jules Marey — recorded the first series of live action photos with a single camera by a method of chronophotography; influenced and was influenced by Muybridge's work
Thomas Eakins — American artist who worked with and continued Muybridge's motion studies, and incorporated the findings into his own artwork
William Dickson — credited as inventor of the motion picture camera
Thomas Edison — developed and owned patents for motion picture cameras
Marcel Duchamp — artist, painted Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, inspired by multiple-exposure photography
Harold Eugene Edgerton — pioneered stroboscopic and high speed photography and film, producing an Oscar-winning short movie and many striking photographic sequences
Francis Bacon — painted from Muybridge photographs
John Gaeta — used the principles of Muybridge photography to create the bullet time slow-motion technique of the 1999 movie The Matrix.
Steven Pippin — so-called Young British Artist who converted a row of laundromat washing machines into sequential cameras in the style of Muybridge
Wayne McGregor — UK choreographer collaborated with composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and artist Mark Wallinger on a piece entitled "Undance", inspired by Muybridge's 'action verbs'
He emigrated to the United States as a young man and became a bookseller. He returned to England in 1861 and took up professional photography, learning the wet-plate collodion process, and secured at least two British patents for his inventions. He went back to San Francisco in 1867, and in 1868 his large photographs of Yosemite Valley made him world famous. Today, Muybridge is known for his pioneering work on animal locomotion in 1877 and 1878, which used multiple cameras to capture motion in stop-motion photographs, and his zoopraxiscope, a device for projecting motion pictures that pre-dated the flexible perforated film strip used in cinematography.
He travelled for more than a year in Central America on a photographic expedition in 1875.
In the 1880s, Muybridge entered a very productive period at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, producing over 100,000 images of animals and humans in motion, capturing what the human eye could not distinguish as separate movements. He spent much of his later years giving public lectures and demonstrations of his photography and early motion picture sequences, traveling back to England and Europe to publicise his work. He also edited and published compilations of his work, which greatly influenced visual artists and the developing fields of scientific and industrial photography. He returned to his native England permanently in 1894, and in 1904, the Kingston Museum, containing a collection of his equipment, was opened in his hometown.
Influence:
According to an exhibition at Tate Britain, "His influence has forever changed our understanding and interpretation of the world, and can be found in many diverse fields, from Marcel Duchamp's painting Nude Descending a Staircase and countless works by Francis Bacon, to the blockbuster film The Matrix and Philip Glass's opera The Photographer."
Étienne-Jules Marey — recorded the first series of live action photos with a single camera by a method of chronophotography; influenced and was influenced by Muybridge's work
Thomas Eakins — American artist who worked with and continued Muybridge's motion studies, and incorporated the findings into his own artwork
William Dickson — credited as inventor of the motion picture camera
Thomas Edison — developed and owned patents for motion picture cameras
Marcel Duchamp — artist, painted Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, inspired by multiple-exposure photography
Harold Eugene Edgerton — pioneered stroboscopic and high speed photography and film, producing an Oscar-winning short movie and many striking photographic sequences
Francis Bacon — painted from Muybridge photographs
John Gaeta — used the principles of Muybridge photography to create the bullet time slow-motion technique of the 1999 movie The Matrix.
Steven Pippin — so-called Young British Artist who converted a row of laundromat washing machines into sequential cameras in the style of Muybridge
Wayne McGregor — UK choreographer collaborated with composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and artist Mark Wallinger on a piece entitled "Undance", inspired by Muybridge's 'action verbs'
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 26, 2021
So useful for animating reference. You can see all the muscles as everyone is naked as jaybirds. It must have been pretty controversial back in the day ; )
March 7, 2021
High quality reproductions on durable paper in sewn signatures for $7.95 - Dover is the best publisher providing affordable major works of photography, literature, and poetry. In my late teens, Dover introduced me to Blake, Dostoevsky, Pope, and Stein for $1-$2 per new copy. I could have acquired their entire library with my summer job money.
Muybridge's photographic plates are amazing. They balance on the hinge between scientific observation and art and, in documenting people in motion, led to the advent of motion pictures. That said, Muybridge didn't always know what to have his models do, which makes "[Woman] Kicking a hat" the most absurd sequence in this collection. Images of men playing various sports and women carrying baskets and water are the ones that will stay with me.
There were 781 plates altogether, and there are 60 here. While the opening biographical overview, short description of the technical aspect of Muybridge's camera setup, and back cover text about the contents within are informative, there isn't a word about who selected these particular plates or why. Were they the best? Do they cluster together thematically better than others? Were these the most popular plates subscribers bought at the time? That opaqueness is frustrating, and the only thing keeping this from five stars. Obviously, I'd like to see the entire collection sometime, but if I happen to find a copy of this in a used bookstore, I won't hesitate to buy it.
Muybridge's photographic plates are amazing. They balance on the hinge between scientific observation and art and, in documenting people in motion, led to the advent of motion pictures. That said, Muybridge didn't always know what to have his models do, which makes "[Woman] Kicking a hat" the most absurd sequence in this collection. Images of men playing various sports and women carrying baskets and water are the ones that will stay with me.
There were 781 plates altogether, and there are 60 here. While the opening biographical overview, short description of the technical aspect of Muybridge's camera setup, and back cover text about the contents within are informative, there isn't a word about who selected these particular plates or why. Were they the best? Do they cluster together thematically better than others? Were these the most popular plates subscribers bought at the time? That opaqueness is frustrating, and the only thing keeping this from five stars. Obviously, I'd like to see the entire collection sometime, but if I happen to find a copy of this in a used bookstore, I won't hesitate to buy it.
October 8, 2022
60 sequences of still images taken from the total of 781 done by Muybridge.
This book is a lovely snippet of a landmark in history, when the very basics of the moving picture was just being formed. By today's standards, these photos are grainy and some are out of focus, but the lighting and the framing can still be seen as competent. It's still very much plausible to use this as a reference for drawing, comics, or animation, however these days it's likely that someone may find much better references for free online.
That being said, this edition in and of itself is wonderful. The artwork is left to speak for itself with none of the preaching from the editor that seems to be common in art books regardless of genre. Dover has bound the book in signatures, and the paper itself is glossy, making the build quality of the volume better than some other photography books that fetch much higher prices.
Overall, still of some use, but now largely relegated to historical interest.
This book is a lovely snippet of a landmark in history, when the very basics of the moving picture was just being formed. By today's standards, these photos are grainy and some are out of focus, but the lighting and the framing can still be seen as competent. It's still very much plausible to use this as a reference for drawing, comics, or animation, however these days it's likely that someone may find much better references for free online.
That being said, this edition in and of itself is wonderful. The artwork is left to speak for itself with none of the preaching from the editor that seems to be common in art books regardless of genre. Dover has bound the book in signatures, and the paper itself is glossy, making the build quality of the volume better than some other photography books that fetch much higher prices.
Overall, still of some use, but now largely relegated to historical interest.
October 27, 2009
Classic art reference . . . although, I've never actually used it myself . . . .I'm sure someday I will.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews