A Galloping Horse in Motion

It was once thought that a galloping horse must have at least one hoof on the ground at all times. To disprove this theory, a man named Eadweard Muybridge was hired to photograph a horse in motion. Previous attempts to describe this phenomenon using drawings failed to provide concrete scientific proof, since they were dependent on the artist's way of seeing. In 1878, Muybridge set up 24 cameras along a track in Palo Alto, California to capture the horse's gallop. Eadweard Muybridge earned his indisputable evidence and successfully created the world's first motion picture.

Republic of Images: A History of French Filmmaking