Plate Number 204. Stooping to pick up a ball 1887

"Plate Number 204. Stooping to pick up a ball" (1887) by Eadweard Muybridge is a seminal work of photographic art, depicting a woman in sequential stages of movement as she bends down to retrieve an object. This series of images, known as a chronophotograph, exemplifies Muybridge's groundbreaking work in capturing motion through photography, which had significant influence on the development of motion pictures and animation. The image's clinical, scientific approach to human movement, coupled with its bold representation of the female nude, pushed the boundaries of artistic and societal conventions.