Plate Number 110. Ascending a stepladder two steps at a time 1887

Eadweard Muybridge made this photographic study of a woman ascending a stepladder, using a complex setup of multiple cameras. The photos were printed using the collotype process, a non-silver method that yields rich, continuous tones. Muybridge used this technique to scientifically analyze human and animal locomotion, capturing split-second movements invisible to the naked eye. This image, and others like it, reveal the material basis of photography itself. Here, the process involves skilled labor in the darkroom, where the images are developed and printed. It also raises questions about the labor of the model, whose body becomes both subject and object of study. Note the neutral background and gridlines; these are purely for measurement, stripping the scene of any social context. Muybridge aimed to break down movement into discrete, measurable components. By attending to the materials and methods of its production, we can appreciate how this image exists at the intersection of science, art, and labor, challenging simple distinctions between them.