Plate Number 506. Bricklaying 1887

Eadweard Muybridge's "Plate Number 506. Bricklaying," an 1887 photographic study, captures the sequential motion of a bricklayer in stark detail. The image is divided into three rows, each depicting a different phase of the bricklaying process, from dipping a trowel into a bucket of mortar to laying the brick. This photographic sequence is a prime example of Muybridge's groundbreaking work in capturing the nuances of human motion, solidifying his place as a pioneer of the photographic study of movement and the precursor to the cinema. The stark black-and-white composition, the use of a series of images, and the focus on the human form and the act of labor make this an exemplary work of the photographic genre known as motion study.