Plate Number 321. A: Lifting a 50-lb. dumbbell. B: Posing

Eadweard Muybridge

National Gallery of Art

The image depicts a male figure performing weightlifting exercises with a dumbbell. The series of photographs show different stages of lifting, including bending forward, returning to an upright stance, and raising the weight overhead in the top row. In the bottom row, the man stands in various static poses, including front, side, and rear views, as well as poses with hands on the head and arms raised. The man is muscular with short hair and wears minimal attire similar to a loincloth. There is no visible jewelry, and the background is a grid pattern on a plain wall.