| A collaboration between an English-born
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| | not a horse ever was completely airborne
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| eccentric Eadweard Muybridge and the
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| | during the canter. The unaided human eye
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| founder of one of our great universities
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| | could not resolve that question.Eadweard
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| resulted in a series of events which
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| | MuybridgeEnter Muybridge. With a
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| spelled the end of the "hobby-horse"
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| | tempestuous personality, sporting a Walt
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| posture in horse art and
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| | Whitman beard, and carrying on in the
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| paintings.Towards the end of the 19th
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| | grand tradition of the English
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| century, an event occurred which
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| | eccentric, it was said of Eadweard
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| significantly changed the world of horse
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| | Muybridge that had he never been born a
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| art, in particular paintings but for
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| | novelist would have created him. Coming
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| sculpture as well. Until that time
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| | to America from England at an early age,
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| period, most paintings of horses at full
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| | Muybridge established a reputation as one
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| gallop showed the front legs extended
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| | of San Francisco's great 19th century
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| forward and the hind legs extended to the
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| | landscape photographers. Over time, his
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| rear. Unless a horse's motion was to be
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| | interests narrowed and became focused
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| similar to that of a rabbits's, this
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| | upon photographing and studying the
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| position would be anatomically
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| | motion of animals and people.Muybridge
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| impossible. This posture by the way, is
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| | and Stanford met in 1873 at which time
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| often referred to as the rocking horse or
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| | Muybridge began to photograph Stanford's
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| hobby-horse posture. Can you image trying
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| | horses in motion. It should be noted that
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| to stay in the saddle if a horse's motion
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| | at that time photographers often built
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| was the same as a rabbit's? It would be
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| | their own equipment and mixed their own
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| an adventure to say the least.Pleasure
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| | chemicals. Exposure time was usually
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| riding would be restricted to the walk,
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| | measured in seconds rather than in
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| perhaps the slow trot. Canter? Forget it!
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| | tenths, much less one-hundredths of a
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| Driving? One horse or a team. Picture
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| | second. Up to that time no photographer
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| the effect if horses ran like rabbits. It
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| | had been able to capture events too
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| would likely shake the buggy apart in a
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| | rapid to be seen by the naked eye.The two
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| short distance. Yet this was how horses
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| | worked together for nearly ten years.
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| at full gallop were generally
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| | During that time Muybridge continually
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| portrayed.If you've ever tried to figure
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| | improved and refined his photographic
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| out the motion (or gait) of a horse, or a
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| | processes. By 1877, Muybridge, in
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| dog or cat for that matter at a walk,
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| | collaboration with Leland Stanford's
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| with a little concentration you'll soon
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| | engineering staff was able to photograph
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| figure out the order in which the legs
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| | movement with a shutter speed of 1/2000th
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| moved and when a hoof (or paw) leaves or
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| | of a second. It was here that he provided
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| touches the ground with respect to the
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| | conclusive proof that the horse did have
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| position of the other legs. At a trot -
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| | all four hooves off the ground during the
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| more difficult but possible. But at a
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| | gallop.What was key to the world of horse
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| gallop or run - forget it (I've tried
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| | art was found in the photographs which
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| this walking behind our beagle) - the
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| | showed every aspect of the horses' gait.
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| legs move faster than our eyes are
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| | The photos showed that, at full gallop,
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| capable of tracking. It's little wonder
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| | all four hooves were for an instant under
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| that until the advent of photography
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| | the horse and off the ground.In The Art
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| there was a great deal of guesswork as to
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| | of the Horse by John Fairley there is a
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| how a horse actually moved at a canter or
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| | reproduction of a wonderful painting
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| gallop.One artist who had a clue was the
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| | depicting the chariot races at the Circus
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| Englishman whose meticulous studies of
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| | Maximus. It is an immensely realistic and
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| the horse's anatomy gave him an
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| | powerful painting. However, every horse
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| understanding as to what motion was
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| | under full gallop has both front legs
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| possible and what was not.The
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| | extended forward and both hind legs
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| "Farm"Leland Stanford (1824-1893) -
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| | extended to the rear. If that were the
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| railroad executive, governer, senator,
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| | case it would be amazing if the
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| pioneer in California's wine industry
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| | charioteer could stay aboard for even one
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| and founder of Stanford University, was
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| | lap!When Muybridge's results became
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| also a breeder and trainer of horses. His
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| | generally known (largely through
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| farm (the Palo Alto Stock Farm) was one
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| | publication in Scientific American in
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| of the finest for trotting horses in the
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| | 1878) they were readily accepted by
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| United States and in the 1880's and
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| | artists such as Degas, Eakins, George
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| 1890's home to 600 horses and 150
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| | Stubbs and Remington. Others, like Rodin
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| trainers and staff. The "Farm"
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| | had to go through a period of "furious
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| eventually became the site of Stanford
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| | denial" before finally abandoning the
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| University.The farm ( and later the city)
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| | "rocking horse" style. Muybridge
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| was named after one of Stanford's great
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| | continued his work up until his death in
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| trotting horses, Palo Alto. The horse was
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| | 1904. Like English painter John Stubbs'
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| in turn named after the first major
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| | studies of the anatomy of the horse,
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| battlefield victory of the Mexican War.
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| | Muybridge's work had a profound influence
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| Stanford's trotters won numerous trophies
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| | on equine art. The artist could now
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| and ribbons and several were credited
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| | study detail that the human eye could not
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| with world record times. In his quest
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| | see.His work with Stanford attracted the
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| to breed the fastest possible trotters
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| | attention of Thomas Edison and, together
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| Stanford had a great interest in learning
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| | with George Eastmans ongoing work in the
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| more and more about them, including
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| | development of film, set the stage for
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| details of the gait. One of the
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| | motion pictures.
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| controversies at the time was whether or
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