Plate Number 103. Turning and ascending stairs with a pitcher and goblet in hands 1887

Curator: This is Plate Number 103, "Turning and ascending stairs with a pitcher and goblet in hands," by Eadweard Muybridge, made in 1887. Editor: It's a gelatin silver print, and what strikes me is the sense of scientific observation. It's so clinical, almost detached. How do you interpret this work beyond its technical achievement? Curator: I see it as a potent commentary on the representation of women and the intersection of science and societal expectations during the Victorian era. Muybridge sought to dissect and understand human motion, but within that project, he objectified the female form. The nude woman, presented as a scientific subject, reveals anxieties around the female body and its perceived control, or lack thereof, in a patriarchal society. Does that make you see it in a new light? Editor: Definitely. I hadn’t considered the social implications. The act of reducing a person to a series of data points seems problematic now. Curator: Exactly. These images circulated in a time rife with debates on gender roles, scientific progress, and moral codes. So the 'scientific' gaze also carries within it social biases of that time. Editor: So, in essence, the photograph embodies both scientific ambition and social commentary. The artist perhaps unintentionally exposes underlying biases in the culture through a reductive perspective. Curator: Precisely. Muybridge's work offers insights into Victorian anxieties regarding science, gender, and the gaze, prompting us to think about how those continue to inform perspectives on identity and the human body today. Editor: It’s fascinating to view it through that lens. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. Looking at these photos makes me think of ways power structures subtly shape our understanding and perceptions of others.