Horse Art - Eadweard Muybridge, Leland Stanford, and the Hobby Horse

A collaboration between an English-born eccentriccould not resolve that question.Eadweard
Eadweard Muybridge and the founder of one of ourMuybridgeEnter Muybridge. With a tempestuous
great universities resulted in a series of events whichpersonality, sporting a Walt Whitman beard, and
spelled the end of the "hobby-horse" posture in horsecarrying on in the grand tradition of the English
art and paintings.Towards the end of the 19theccentric, it was said of Eadweard Muybridge that
century, an event occurred which significantlyhad he never been born a novelist would have
changed the world of horse art, in particular paintingscreated him. Coming to America from England at an
but for sculpture as well. Until that time period, mostearly age, Muybridge established a reputation as one
paintings of horses at full gallop showed the frontof San Francisco's great 19th century landscape
legs extended forward and the hind legs extended tophotographers. Over time, his interests narrowed and
the rear. Unless a horse's motion was to be similar tobecame focused upon photographing and studying
that of a rabbits's, this position would be anatomicallythe motion of animals and people.Muybridge and
impossible. This posture by the way, is often referredStanford met in 1873 at which time Muybridge began
to as the rocking horse or hobby-horse posture. Canto photograph Stanford's horses in motion. It should
you image trying to stay in the saddle if a horse'sbe noted that at that time photographers often built
motion was the same as a rabbit's? It would be antheir own equipment and mixed their own chemicals.
adventure to say the least.Pleasure riding would beExposure time was usually measured in seconds
restricted to the walk, perhaps the slow trot. Canter?rather than in tenths, much less one-hundredths of a
Forget it! Driving? One horse or a team. Picture thesecond. Up to that time no photographer had been
effect if horses ran like rabbits. It would likely shakeable to capture events too rapid to be seen by the
the buggy apart in a short distance. Yet this wasnaked eye.The two worked together for nearly ten
how horses at full gallop were generally portrayed.Ifyears. During that time Muybridge continually
you've ever tried to figure out the motion (or gait)improved and refined his photographic processes. By
of a horse, or a dog or cat for that matter at a1877, Muybridge, in collaboration with Leland
walk, with a little concentration you'll soon figure outStanford's engineering staff was able to photograph
the order in which the legs moved and when a hoofmovement with a shutter speed of 1/2000th of a
(or paw) leaves or touches the ground with respectsecond. It was here that he provided conclusive
to the position of the other legs. At a trot - moreproof that the horse did have all four hooves off the
difficult but possible. But at a gallop or run - forget itground during the gallop.What was key to the world
(I've tried this walking behind our beagle) - the legsof horse art was found in the photographs which
move faster than our eyes are capable of tracking.showed every aspect of the horses' gait. The photos
It's little wonder that until the advent of photographyshowed that, at full gallop, all four hooves were for
there was a great deal of guesswork as to how aan instant under the horse and off the ground.In The
horse actually moved at a canter or gallop.One artistArt of the Horse by John Fairley there is a
who had a clue was the Englishman whose meticulousreproduction of a wonderful painting depicting the
studies of the horse's anatomy gave him anchariot races at the Circus Maximus. It is an
understanding as to what motion was possible andimmensely realistic and powerful painting. However,
what was not.The "Farm"Leland Stanford (1824-1893)every horse under full gallop has both front legs
- railroad executive, governer, senator, pioneer inextended forward and both hind legs extended to
California's wine industry and founder of Stanfordthe rear. If that were the case it would be amazing if
University, was also a breeder and trainer of horses.the charioteer could stay aboard for even one
His farm (the Palo Alto Stock Farm) was one of thelap!When Muybridge's results became generally known
finest for trotting horses in the United States and in(largely through publication in Scientific American in
the 1880's and 1890's home to 600 horses and 1501878) they were readily accepted by artists such as
trainers and staff. The "Farm" eventually became theDegas, Eakins, George Stubbs and Remington.
site of Stanford University.The farm ( and later theOthers, like Rodin had to go through a period of
city) was named after one of Stanford's great"furious denial" before finally abandoning the "rocking
trotting horses, Palo Alto. The horse was in turnhorse" style. Muybridge continued his work up until his
named after the first major battlefield victory of thedeath in 1904. Like English painter John Stubbs'
Mexican War. Stanford's trotters won numerousstudies of the anatomy of the horse, Muybridge's
trophies and ribbons and several were credited withwork had a profound influence on equine art. The
world record times. In his quest to breed the fastestartist could now study detail that the human eye
possible trotters Stanford had a great interest incould not see.His work with Stanford attracted the
learning more and more about them, including detailsattention of Thomas Edison and, together with
of the gait. One of the controversies at the timeGeorge Eastmans ongoing work in the development
was whether or not a horse ever was completelyof film, set the stage for motion pictures.
airborne during the canter. The unaided human eye