Plate Number 180. Stepping on and over a chair 1887

Eadweard Muybridge created this photographic sequence of a woman stepping on and over a chair in the late 19th century. Muybridge was driven by a scientific quest, aiming to dissect and understand human and animal locomotion. These images capture the objectification of the female body, which was common at the time. The woman, stripped of her identity, becomes an anonymous figure, studied and recorded like an object. Yet, there is a subtle subversion at play. By stepping, jumping, and moving, the woman exerts a quiet agency. Her movement is not passive; it's an active negotiation with the space and the gaze of the camera. As we observe her motions, we can reflect on the complex interplay between scientific inquiry, gender, and power during this era. This work makes us think about the history of science, and the different roles, voluntary or not, that women had to play at the time.