"The Horse in Motion:" A Deep Dive

The Horse in Motion stills

"The Horse in Motion" was revolutionary because it was one of the first examples of chronophotography, which is a type of photography that chronicles subtle movements and the passage of time. It was the step between still photos and moving pictures that fascinated the public when it was published. Additionally, it showed that photography can capture details that the human eye was unable to, which signified that it could be used for a scientific purpose.

Stanford's horses

"The Horse in Motion" was commissioned by California governor Leland Stanford. Stanford was an avid horseman. Because of this, he became interested in a horse's gait, even making a bet about the way it runs. Thus, he hired Muybridge to photograph his horse Occident while he was running (Stanford also had several other horses: Abe Edington, Mahomet, Sallie Gardner, alongside Occident.

Muybridge with "The Horse in Motion"

"The Horse in Motion"

Muybridge also started holding demonstrations to show off his work. These demonstrations were extremely popular, with many reporters attending to cover the massive artistic breakthrough. One revealed that “It was a brilliant success. Even the threadlike tip of Mr. Marvin’s whip was plainly seen in each negative, and the horse was exactly depicted.” It was so popular that it inspired others to examine motion through chronophotography. Muybridge even met with Thomas Edison. Edison developed the kinetograph and kinetoscope, which were early movie cameras and screens. Muybridge proposed the idea of combining his images with Edison's phonograph to create a moving picture However, this conversation ultimately went nowhere. At this point, "The Horse in Motion" had been a series of images, but Stanford quickly came up with a new theory that would end up changing that. Stanford believed in the idea of “unsupported transit” or the ability for horses to have all four legs off the ground when running, but had no proof. He enlisted Muybridge to do the job, who would design the camera himself. The camera was activated by trip wires that the horse would run over. This would lead to the world's first motion picture: Sallie Gardner at a Gallop. It was only 2 seconds long, but it was a phenomenon. Muybridge was heralded as a genius. 

The Cover of The Horse in Motion

Stanford was furious about the lack of credit and Stanford published his book Horse in Motion: as Shown by Instantaneous Photography to paint Muybridge as a fraud. He used Muybridge's work and didn't credit him. This led to Muybridge filing a lawsuit against Stanford, therefore cutting off their relationship and his funding. Officially, the book was published by Stanford’s friend J.D.B Stillman but was labeled as “Executed and published under the auspices of Leland Stanford." It was also copyrighted by Stanford, and he wrote the preface of it. 

The Preface of The Horse in Motion

In the preface, Stanford wrote “I have for a long time entertained the opinion that the accepted theory of the relative positions of the feet of the horses in rapid motion was erroneous,” giving himself credit for coming up with the idea to examine a horse's movement. He also mentions hiring Muybridge, who he labels as "a very skillful photographer." However, he mentions wanting to examine further into Muybridge's work, writing that "it was necessary to review the whole subject of the locomotive machinery of the horse. I employed Dr. J. D. B. Stillman whom I believed to be capable of the undertaking.” However, despite their professional differences, Stanford and Muybridge were able to create something groundbreaking together. Muybridge’s works (books, “motion pictures,” zoetropes) are still used as reference for those depicting movement today. It both helped lead to the eventual development of movies, but it showed scientists that photography can be a mean to collect scientific data about certain areas of interest.