MUYBRIDGE (Eadweard). - Lot 226

MUYBRIDGE (Eadweard). The Human Figure in Motion. Introduction by Robert Taft. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., 1955 (reprint of the 1901 edition). Large quarto, publisher’s hardcover with illustrated dust jacket. A faithful reprint of one of the seminal works in the history of scientific photography and cinema. Featuring 196 plates comprising more than 4,700 sequential photographs, this volume selects the most representative series from the famous chronophotographic experiments conducted by Eadweard Muybridge at the University of Pennsylvania between 1884 and 1887. The plates present a systematic study of the movements of men, women, and children, both at rest and in action: walking, running, jumping, gymnastics, dancing, everyday gestures, athletic exercises, and professional movements. Originally intended for artists, anatomists, physicians, and physiologists, these sequences represent a decisive step in the scientific understanding of movement and paved the way for the birth of cinema. Published by Dover to make this now-rare work accessible, this volume is today an essential classic for any library dedicated to the history of photography, the visual arts, and the sciences of movement. Copy with an illustrated dust jacket showing some scuffing and minor signs of wear; interior is in fresh condition.