Plate Number 190. Dancing (nautch) 1887

Eadweard Muybridge made this photographic study, "Plate Number 190. Dancing (nautch)," without a specified date. He was interested in capturing and analyzing movement. In this sequence, we see a woman in motion, her body captured in a series of still frames. Muybridge's work emerged during a time of rapid technological advancement and shifting social norms. The late 19th century saw the rise of photography as a scientific tool, and Muybridge was at the forefront of this movement. His images are important because they reflect the desire to dissect and understand the human body through the lens of science. They were made at a time when ideas about gender, race, and class were deeply entrenched in Western society and when artistic institutions were trying to determine what constituted Fine Art and what was merely scientific documentation. Understanding Muybridge's work requires attention to the social and institutional contexts in which it was produced. By consulting historical archives, scientific literature, and cultural studies, we gain a deeper appreciation of its complex meanings.