Plate Number 553. Spastic, walking

Eadweard Muybridge

National Gallery of Art

This is a photograph of a series of sequential images capturing a walk cycle. Each frame depicts a different stage of the subject walking. The images are arranged in two rows - the top row shows a side view of the subject walking from left to right, while the bottom row captures the subject from behind, moving straight ahead. The background features a gridded backdrop which may have been used to measure movement or position more precisely. The series highlights the mechanics of walking, with careful attention to the positioning of limbs through each phase of the stride.