Plate Number 39. Walking; hands engaged in knitting 1887

Eadweard Muybridge made this photographic plate in the late 19th century as part of his motion study research. The image shows a woman in a long dress, engaged in knitting, captured in a sequence of frames to analyze her movement. Muybridge's work was ground-breaking, but it was also very much a product of his time. This was an era when science was often used to classify and categorize people. His studies were used by scientists, artists, and also those interested in eugenics, for example. The choice of a woman as the subject, engaged in a domestic activity like knitting, also speaks to the gender roles prevalent in the Victorian era. The dress restricts her movement, in the same way women were restricted in society at the time. By looking at Muybridge's photographs, alongside sociological and scientific texts from that era, we can gain a better understanding of the social context in which they were made. Ultimately, this helps us interpret the image in a more informed and critical way.