Jumping over Boy's Back (Leap-frog)
Photograph
1887 (made)
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 |
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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 |
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Gallery label |
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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 created | February 6, 2004 |
Record URL |
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