Plate Number 140. Descending stairs, looking around and waving a fan 1887

Curator: Here we have Eadweard Muybridge’s "Plate Number 140. Descending stairs, looking around and waving a fan," created in 1887. Editor: It’s striking how the rigid grid emphasizes the subject’s elegant movements. There's almost a musical rhythm created through the repetition of the figure across these sequential frames. Curator: Muybridge was deeply interested in capturing and dissecting motion, largely driven by technological and scientific innovation of his time. He pioneered methods of motion capture photography and, in the process, influenced art and science significantly. What does the repetitive nature of these images say about societal attitudes toward women's labor or roles? Editor: I appreciate how the formal elements underscore the passage of time and the body in motion through a pure engagement with the aesthetics of form. We have these crisp tonal gradations and sharp details. The geometry creates an interesting sense of depth. Do the shadows play a role for you? Curator: Absolutely. It is interesting how his process challenged artistic conventions, turning photography into a powerful tool for both scientific study and artistic expression, also think about its effect on labor or the mechanization of movement during the industrial revolution. Editor: I'm fascinated by the image itself, as this pre-cinema moment captured on a single print offers more than science; it presents us with pure art through pattern, tone, and form, almost abstracting motion into shapes and shades. Curator: Indeed, by capturing this very specific movement of descending the stairs, Muybridge not only froze a moment but also made commentary on time and society through both technique and narrative. Editor: Seeing how a simple act like descending stairs becomes an opportunity to witness an emerging aesthetic truly reshapes one’s idea about the artistic expression of this medium.