46 



Eadweard Muyhridge 



[March 13, 



the complex problems of nature. The artist, however, still hesitates 

 to avail himself of the resources of what may be at least acknowledged 

 as a handmaiden of art, if not admitted to its most exalted ranks. 



Having devoted much attention in California to experiments in 

 instantaneous photography, I, in 1872, at the suggestion of the editor 

 of a San Francisco newspaper, obtained a few photographic impres- 

 sions of a horse during a fast trot. 



At this time much controversy prevailed among experienced 

 horsemen as to whether all the feet of a horse while trotting were 

 entirely clear of the ground at the same instant of time. A few ex- 

 periments made in that year proved a fact which should have been 

 self-evident. 



Being much interested with the experiments of Professor Marey, in 

 1877 I invented a method for the employment of a number of photo- 

 graphic cameras, arranged in a line parallel to a track over which the 

 animal would be caused to move, with the object of obtaining, at 

 regulated intervals of time or distance, several consecutive impres- 

 sions of him during a single complete stride as he passed along in 

 front of the cameras, and so of more completely investigating the 

 successive attitudes of animals while in motion than could be accom- 

 plished by the system of M. Marey. 



I explained the plan of my intended experiments to a wealthy 

 resident of San Francisco — Mr. Stanford — who liberally agreed to 

 place the resources of his stock-breeding farm at my disj^osal, and to 

 reimburse the expenses of my investigations, upon condition of my 

 supplying him, for his private use, with a few copies of the con- 

 templated results. The apparatus used and its arrangement will be 

 better understood by a reference to the accompanying drawings. 



FIG.(. 



FIG. •4-. 



Fig. 1. A photographing lens, and camera containing a sensitised 

 plate ; and side view of electro-exposor placed in front of camera. 



