Plate Number 129. Descending stairs 1887

Eadweard Muybridge made this photographic study, ‘Plate Number 129. Descending stairs’ using collodion silver, a process that captures images on glass plates. Muybridge wasn’t just making art; he was intervening in a scientific debate. Leland Stanford, a racehorse owner, hired him to prove that all four of a horse’s hooves leave the ground at once when galloping. Stanford believed this was true, and that he could win bets if the fact could be visualized. Muybridge’s method involved a battery of cameras triggered in sequence to capture movement in discrete increments. It wasn't just about recording; it was about dissecting motion, a kind of labor-intensive data visualization. So, the next time you see a photograph, remember it's not just a picture; it's an artifact of labor, technology, and social context. It makes you consider photography's role in shaping our understanding of the world.