Plate Number 273. Baseball, pitching 1887

Eadweard Muybridge made this series of photographs, entitled "Baseball, pitching," using the collodion process to capture sequential images of a baseball player in motion. These aren't traditional art materials, of course. Photography was then a relatively new technology, straddling the line between science and art. What’s fascinating about these images is how they break down action into discrete moments, revealing the mechanics of the human body. Muybridge’s work demanded precise timing and technical skill. He invented a system of multiple cameras triggered in sequence, and that shows us an aspect of labor too, the labor of capturing an image. But he was not just interested in stopping time; he was investigating the scientific breakdown of movement, and that’s equally labor intensive. These images are a potent reminder that all forms of visual expression are rooted in physical materials, processes, and social contexts. Seeing how "Baseball, pitching" was made expands our understanding of its cultural and historical importance.