The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-06-10
The Motion Of Animals, as Depicted
by Instantaneous Photography.

A private exhibition of the zoogyro-
scope was given by E. J. Muybridge,
the photographer, at the gallery of the
San Francisco Art Association last even
ing. Mr.. Muybridge has been engaged
during the past two years in making
Photographic representations of animals
in motion, under the patronage of Gov
ernor Leland Stanford, at the residence
of the latter at Menlo Park. Governor
Stanford became greatly interested in
the subject, and, gratified by the maiden
efforts of Muybridge in photographing
the movements of his favorite trotting
horse, Occident, he gave him carte
blanche to pursue his experiments. A
number of instruments were constructed
especially for the purpose in Europe
and this country, and at the Governors
place, Palo Alta, every facility was
afforded for carrying on his investiga-
tions, until finally, by the combination of
the magic lantern and the zoogyroscope,
he has arrived very nearly at perfection.
1t is estimated that Governor Stanford
has expended between $4,000 and
$4,000 in this "hobby." At the exhi-
bition last evening large number of
views were given Of the different gaits
of horses-the walk, the canter, the
pace, the trot and the run. The cam
era used in taking these views caught
the object and transferred it to the glass
in the first thousandth part of second
"a degree of time that it is difficult for
the mind to comprehend. Stonehenge
and other writers on the horse have
asserted that that quadruped, in trot-
ting as in walking, always has two of
experiments of Muy bridge show that in
motion the horse frequently has three
and sometimes all four feet from the
ground. 1t has generally, too. been held
that the toe strikes the ground first.
Muybridge shows that it is in
all cases the heel. The strides
of different horses were represented;
that of Elaine, which covered sixteen
feet; Abe Egerton, eighteen feet; and
Clay, seventeen feet. The latter horse,
Muybridge said, had very peculiar
stride. When at the top of his speed
and clearing seventeen feet he was for
nine feet entirely clear of the ground,
all four feet being in the air for that
distance. Several interesting views
were given, showing the change in the
position of horses limbs as he began
to break, during a break and as he was
gradually settled by his driver. In the
representation of running horses fact
was shown that explained what had
long been mystery to horsemen-why
running horses broke down sooner than
trotting horses. 1t was found that the
former throw the weight of their body
upon the fore feet--in fact, the whole
weight is, for a time, thrown upon one
fore foot. In leaping it was shown that
one fore foot strikes the ground first,
followed by the other placed slightly in
advance, and then the hind feet are
brought down together closely behind.
What attracted the most attention, in
fact aroused pronounced flutter of en-
thusiasm from the audience, was the
by aid of the zoogyro-
scope, OF horses in motion. While the
previous views had shown their
positions at different stages of
motion, these placed upon the
screen apparently the living, moving
horse. Nothing was wanting but the
clatter of the hoofs upon the turf and
an occasional breath of steam from the
nostrils to make the spectator believe
that he had before him genuine flesh
and blood steeds. In the views of
hurdle-leaping the stimulation was still
more admirable, even to the motion of
the tail as the animal gathered for the
jump, the raising of his head, all were
there. Views Of an OK trotting, a wild
bull on the charge, greyheunds and
deer running and birds flying in mid
air were shown. The zoogyroscope is
a circular glass, having miniature
picture of the animal to be represented
in motion at regular intervals upon its
surface, and equi-distant with these
pictures are small Stats which admit the
light from the oxyhydrogen lanterns,
and as the plate is turned the effect is
similar to that produced by the we'll
known toy, the zootrope, and shows the
in apparent actual motion. The
exhibition concluded with a number of
fine instantaneous Photographic views
Of athletes in various positions.
Francisco Call.