Plate Number 198. Curtesying 1887

Eadweard Muybridge created this photographic study of a woman curtsying in the late 19th century, using groundbreaking motion-capture techniques. The curtsy itself is a fascinating gesture, a subtle yet powerful display of deference and social hierarchy, with roots stretching back to the Renaissance. Think of the elaborate bows and genuflections in courtly dances, a language of the body that spoke volumes about power and status. But even earlier, one can see a similar bending of the body in ancient Egyptian art, where kneeling and prostration were common forms of reverence before gods and rulers. Observe how the woman’s body bends, folds, and almost contracts, a visual echo of the ritualistic gestures found in various religious practices. It’s as though the act of curtsying carries within it a kind of collective memory, a subconscious understanding of submission and respect passed down through generations. This image, therefore, is more than just a record of movement; it is a study of cultural memory encoded in the body.