Plate Number 128. Descending stairs with hands clasped 1887

Eadweard Muybridge's "Plate Number 128. Descending stairs with hands clasped" from 1887 is a photographic study of human motion. This iconic work, a sequence of 12 images, meticulously captures the subtle movements of a woman descending a set of stairs. By freezing the action, Muybridge's pioneering use of multiple cameras and a complex system of trip wires reveals the nuances of human movement in unprecedented detail. The images are striking in their starkness, highlighting the beauty and complexity of the human form. The work is a seminal example of Muybridge's groundbreaking contributions to the fields of photography, chronophotography, and motion studies.