Galloping Horse by Eadweard Muybridge (1878)

The photograph “Galloping Horse,” created by Eadweard Muybridge in 1878, is a series of sequential images that depict a horse in various stages of its gallop. These images revolutionized the understanding of animal locomotion and were a precursor to the development of motion pictures.

The image itself shows a sequence of 12 frames lined up horizontally. In each frame, the horse, with a rider on its back, is captured in a different position, illustrating the full motion of the horse’s gallop. The sequence captures the horse in various stages – from all hooves off the ground to the extended gait where the horse stretches its legs during the stride, through to the moment the hooves strike the ground again. This historic collection of photographs provides a detailed look at the dynamics of a horse’s movement and was the first to scientifically prove that all four of a horse’s hooves are off the ground at the same time during a gallop.

Other Photographs from Eadweard Muybridge

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