Plate Number 726. Lion and lioness walking

Eadweard Muybridge

National Gallery of Art

This is a photograph of a sequential motion study featuring lions. The series consists of twelve black-and-white frames, each capturing two lions walking side by side in a lateral sequence. The frames are arranged in four rows, each row depicting a gradual change in the position of the lions as they move across the view from left to right. The background is a simple, likely wooden surface, providing a plain backdrop that emphasizes the movement of the lions. The texture of the ground they walk on is rough and natural. The lions' progression in slight variations in stance and stride gives a sense of rhythm and methodology common in early motion photography studies aimed at understanding animal movement.