Plate Number 421. Toilet, throwing handkerchief around shoulders

Eadweard Muybridge

National Gallery of Art

The image is a sequence of photographs showing a woman in various stages of movement as she raises a piece of fabric above her head. The photographs show her from head to toe, with her body positioned in different orientations such as side view, front view, and back view. The woman has short hair styled close to the head, and her facial features are not distinctly visible due to the side and back angles predominant in the sequence. Her form is draped in a translucent fabric that appears to be a sheer cloth wrapped around her waist, flowing downwards. In some frames, she is seen actively manipulating the cloth in her hands above her head. The background consists of a simple, neutral-toned grid pattern commonly used in studio settings for motion study, which allows the captured movement of the subject to be easily analyzed. There are no visible adornments or jewelry on the woman.