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Jumping over Boy's Back (Leap-frog)

Photograph
1887 (made)
Artist/Maker

Eadweard Muybridge's experiments in using a bank of separate cameras to record the sequential movements of animals and humans anticipated the invention of cinema. This is one of 781 plates from his series, Animal Locomotion. The South Kensington Museum (now the V&A) was among the institutions, artists and scientists that subscribed to the series and made possible its publication. Although an apparently scientific endeavour, the sequence is infused with humour. The effortless manner of these leap-frogging men suggests that they are skilled gymnasts, but their deadpan suits, and the signature hat, turn their routine into a comedic skit.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Jumping over Boy's Back (Leap-frog) (assigned by artist)
  • Animal Locomotion (series title)
Materials and techniques
Collotype
Brief description
19thC; Muybridge E, 2 Boys playing leap-frog
Physical description
Photograph of sequential images of two men in suits playing leap frog
Dimensions
  • Height: 24.5cm
  • Width: 31cm
Gallery label
(07 03 2014)
Gallery 100, ‘History of photography’, 2011-2012, label text :

Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904)
‘Jumping over Boy’s Back (Leap-frog)’,
from the series Animal Locomotion
1887

Muybridge used the most advanced camera technology
and multiple cameras to record animals and humans
in motion. He invented the zoopraxiscope in 1879, a
device to project sequences of photographs, anticipating
the invention of cinema. The South Kensington
Museum (later the V&A) was among the institutions
and individuals that subscribed to the series Animal
Locomotion and made possible its publication.

Collotype
Purchased from Eadweard Muybridge
Museum no. Ph.683-1889
Object history
From Animal Locomotion: An Electro-Photographic Investigation of Consecutive Phases of Animal Movements (1887)
Summary
Eadweard Muybridge's experiments in using a bank of separate cameras to record the sequential movements of animals and humans anticipated the invention of cinema. This is one of 781 plates from his series, Animal Locomotion. The South Kensington Museum (now the V&A) was among the institutions, artists and scientists that subscribed to the series and made possible its publication. Although an apparently scientific endeavour, the sequence is infused with humour. The effortless manner of these leap-frogging men suggests that they are skilled gymnasts, but their deadpan suits, and the signature hat, turn their routine into a comedic skit.
Collection
Accession number
PH.683-1889

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Record createdFebruary 6, 2004
Record URL
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