The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-05-22
RUNNING-HoRsE PHOTOGRAPHY.

S1ptui
RUNNING-HORS PHOTOGRAPHY.
To Eadweard Muybrdge belongs the
honor of having discovered and perfected
the science of pnotographing running and
tro;ting horses going at flu speed.
When he first preached the plan while
conducting a photograph gallery in San
Francisco nearly twenty years ago he was
ridiculed.
Brother artists refused to entertain the
idea and laughed at some of Muybridge's
earlier productions In the instantaneous
line. But he perSevered, and TO that fact
California owes the credit of the artists
scientific discovery.
He has since perfected the art. but with
all its possibilities, Mr.. MuyDridge has
never been able to make an instantaneous
photograph of his front name.
The following account of some of Muy-
bridges earlier experiments in the art of
photographing a horse at full speed is
taken from the Mining and Scientific Press
of June o. 1878:
"a series of experiments, with this end
in view. have been made by Muybridge at
the instance of Governor Leland Stanford,
and the trial on Saturday showed how per-
fectIy the work could be done. The ex-
periments were conducted at FL Palo Alto
farm, Menlo Park, where Governor Stan
ford has fine track over which horses are
sped.
Some five years ago Stanford asked
Muybridge if it was possible to photo
graph horse going at full speed. but at
that time 1t was considered impossible.
About a year since, however, the expert
ment was tried. and photograph of Occi-
dent was taken while the horse was travel
ing thirty-six feet per second.
sit was a single picture and excited more
ridicule than praise, as most people thought
| the whole thing a humbug, not believing
1t possible for the picture to be taken. and
| not believing the position of the horse to
be natural. This initatory attempt has
been followed up. however. and last Sat
urday a series of pictures were taken
while the horse was going forty feet per
second.
These pictures illustrate the stride of
the trotter precisely. and. although they
upset many preconceived theories and
opinions, may be regarded as decisive. The
method of taking the pictures is by no
means complicated. and when once under
stood will be seen to be perfect; but
several different ways were tried before
successful one was found.
ION one side of the track large screen
Is placed, set at an angle of twenty degrees
from the perpendicular, the screen being
covered with white cloth and having YER
teal lines formed across it twenty-one
inches apart, which show black against the
white cloth. The spaces between these
lines are numbered from 1 to 20 in plain
black figures at the top.
''At The bottom is another low white
screen with horizontal lines four inches
apart, to show the height of the horses
feet above the ground. Powdered lime
| was sifted over the track in front Of the
screen to make a perfectly smooth white
surface. over which the horse was driven.
ION the opposite side of the track from
the screen low shed was erected, open in
'front.' and on bench or table were placed
twelve cameras. numbered in order, so as
to make twelve views twenty-one inches
apart. These cameras were of English
manufacture and made with an improved
double slide, so that the exposure could
be cut off instantly, one slide moving ca ch
way across the lens.
"The slides were held open by a latch
the camera. A battery of eight Jars was
| placed in the shed. and each camera had
an independent set of wires These wires
were led across the track, under the
ground, until within two feet of the back
ground or screen. where they were raised
SO that one of the sulky wheels would pass
over and strike them.
THE wires correspondent with the yerti-
! cal lines thu hoa
wheel passed over the wires, the armature
holding the catch of each separate ins,ru-
ment released the catch and the slides cut
/ on the exposure at the same instant. so
that the photograph was taken without
any blur. AS the wheel passed over the
different wires the different pictures were
taken, each twenty-one inches apart illus.
trating perfectly the stride of the horse.
| THE trotter, Abe EdeIngtop. was
brought out on Saturday, and after being
warmed up little over the track. and
after the apparatus was all ready he was
put to a 2:20 speed past the screen. He
came down the track in splendid style.
with good square motion and firm trot.
AS soon as the wheel struck wire Mol.
camera No. l was closed nv the means
described. and the first picture was taken.
When it struck No. the second camera
had the second picture, and so on until
twelve pictures were taken twenty.one
inches apart. The arrangement insured
accuracy which was unquestioued.
he horse was travelling about forty
feet per second, and there were senarate
and distinct pictures taken in a space of
twentv-one feet. each in an inapprecia HE
part of second. The sound of tho slides
closing was like a continuous roll. 40
quickly was the feat ACCOMPLISHED. Thu
negatives were perfect, without any signs
OF blur or indistinctness.
ut would be impossible to describe the
| various positions of the horses feet at
different points of the stride, but there are
positions which one would scarcely
imagine. but which could not be questioned
| by those VINO witnessed the operation, At