Plate 617—Horse Clinton cantering, bareback with nude rider, 1887
From the portfolio: Animal Locomotion
Original collotype
Sheet size 14 x 20 inches
April 17, 2023
This print is a fine example of the qualities that make Eadweard Muybridge's photography so enduring. On one hand, the striking image of the horse with its bareback rider evokes classical equestrian statuary—the white horse’s frozen cantor looks like it could be a carved marble in a Roman piazza. At the same time, Muybridge’s motion studies—which advanced photography by shortening shutter speeds to a fraction of a second—laid the groundwork for the quintessential 20th century art form: the motion picture. Like Renaissance artists and Hollywood filmmakers, Eadweard Muybridge wove art and science together to create a lasting vision.
