Plate Number 230. Lifting a 30-lb. basket from ground to head and turning

Eadweard Muybridge

National Gallery of Art

This is a photograph of a sequence of motions performed with a basket. The image is comprised of three horizontal rows, each featuring a series of black and white shots depicting a basket in various stages of movement. The subject, a basket, is picked up from the ground, is lifted over the head, and is finally lowered back down. The background is a simple, gridded wire mesh that helps to focus attention on the motions depicted. The sequence captures the fluidity and progression of the action, providing an almost cinematic narrative of the basket's journey through the air.