Plate Number 94. Ascending stairs and looking around with basin in hands 1887

Eadweard Muybridge made this photographic study, "Plate Number 94. Ascending stairs and looking around with basin in hands," sometime during the 1880s using a multi-camera setup. Muybridge’s work was influenced by a desire to dissect and understand the mechanics of human and animal movement. The figure’s nudity invites us to think about how the female body has historically been represented. On one hand, the figure’s lack of clothing evokes classical ideals of beauty, but on the other, it highlights the vulnerability of the female form under the scientific gaze. How much agency did this woman, likely a paid subject, have in how she was presented? Muybridge's photographs were pioneering, yet they also reflect the prevailing social attitudes of his time. They prompt us to consider how the representation of the body intersects with societal power structures, especially around gender and class. The sequential nature of the photographs invites reflection upon the lived experiences of women, and their historical place as objects of study and contemplation.