Eadweard Muybridge

Eadweard Muybridge was born on April 9, 1830, in Kingston upon Thames, England. He was originally named Edward James Muggeridge. Muybridge significantly contributed to the development of photography and motion picture projection. His work in cataloging animal locomotion laid important groundwork for both industries.

Eadweard Muybridge first arrived in the United States in the 1850s, settling in San Francisco where he initially worked as a bookseller. After sustaining a head injury in a stagecoach accident in 1860, he returned to England to recover, before eventually returning to America where he would pursue photography.

In 1872, Eadweard Muybridge was hired by Leland Stanford, a former governor of California and railroad tycoon, to photographically document whether all four feet of a horse were off the ground during a trot. This experiment marked the beginning of Muybridge's work in motion photography, leading to his breakthrough in instantaneous motion capture.

In a widely publicized trial in the late 19th century, Muybridge was accused of murdering Major Harry Larkyns, his wife's lover, in 1874. Despite admitting to the shooting, Muybridge was acquitted on grounds of 'justifiable homicide', an incident that further sensationalized his already controversial and remarkable life and career.

On June 15, 1878, Muybridge successfully photographed a horse named 'Sallie Gardner' owned by Leland Stanford, proving that all four feet do leave the ground simultaneously during a trot. This series of photographs is known as 'The Horse in Motion' and represented a milestone in motion picture history, as it captured motion too rapid for the human eye.

In July 1880, Muybridge gave the first public demonstration of his zoopraxiscope, a device he invented to project moving images from rotating glass discs. This demonstration, held in San Francisco, illustrated Muybridge's pioneering advancement in motion pictures, allowing audiences to visualize animal and human movement.

Muybridge's landmark work, 'Animal Locomotion: An Electro-photographic Investigation of Consecutive Phases of Animal Movements', was published in 1887. This comprehensive work consisted of 781 plates displaying animals and humans in motion, effectively bridging art and science, and serving as significant inspiration for both fields moving forward.

In 1893, Muybridge lectured at the prestigious World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. During this event, he showcased his innovative work using his zoopraxiscope, an early device for displaying motion pictures, to project moving images of animals and humans to large audiences, thus enhancing the public understanding of locomotion.

In 1894, Eadweard Muybridge published his autobiography 'Animals in Motion', reflecting on his life's work and photographic studies of motion. This publication offered insights into the evolution of motion photography and echoing Muybridge's pioneering contributions to bridging the science of motion with its artistic representation.

Eadweard Muybridge passed away on May 8, 1904, in Kingston upon Thames, England, at the age of 74. Having substantially influenced the nascent field of motion picture technology, Muybridge left behind a legacy that continued to impact both scientific exploration and artistic representation of motion.