Source: Edward Ball. The Inventor and the Tycoon: A Gilded Age
Murder and the Birth of Motion Pictures (2013)
Murder and the Birth of Motion Pictures (2013)
Edward Muybridge was one of the pioneers of the technology that led to motion pictures.
In effect, Muybridge, by finding a way to quickly take twenty-four consecutive stop-motion photographs, "kidnapped" time. After Muybridge, the "Media" became possible; all elements of what became the media had to rely on his template. While Muybridge was able to "kidnap" time with a camera, he was also able to commit murder with a Smith and Wesson revolver. For a time, he was equally famous as an American icon in terms of photography, and as a cold-blooded killer whose story of why and how he committed murder made national headlines.
Edward Muybridge was born (and grew up) in Britain, but emigrated to the U.S. in the
years before the Civil War. He went back to England as the Civil War began, and didn't come back to the U.S. until the Civil War was over. While some historians wonder about that coincidental timing, Muybridge used his time abroad, and learned quite a bit about photography during those years. In 1866, Muybridge went to San Francisco, and called himself "Helios" (Muybridge, born Muggerridge, was constantly changing his name to suit his circumstances): a professional photographer was born. Helios hated taking portraits of people; he preferred to photograph landscapes, even if there was no market for that kind of print. In 1867, Helios (Muybridge) traveled to Yosemite, and in essence started the popularity of American Landscape Photography, while at the same time making himself known nationally. While there were photographers that preceded him in terms of landscapes, the photographs of Helios were different - his predecessors focused on space . . . he focused on time. Helios had the gift of capturing time in a still photograph, even with the limited technology in the 1860s.
Above, Helios photographed himself in Yosemite - he called this photograph "Charon at the Ferry" (1868). He envisioned himself as Charon in his boat crossing the river Styx in Greek Mythology
In effect, Muybridge, by finding a way to quickly take twenty-four consecutive stop-motion photographs, "kidnapped" time. After Muybridge, the "Media" became possible; all elements of what became the media had to rely on his template. While Muybridge was able to "kidnap" time with a camera, he was also able to commit murder with a Smith and Wesson revolver. For a time, he was equally famous as an American icon in terms of photography, and as a cold-blooded killer whose story of why and how he committed murder made national headlines.
Edward Muybridge was born (and grew up) in Britain, but emigrated to the U.S. in the
years before the Civil War. He went back to England as the Civil War began, and didn't come back to the U.S. until the Civil War was over. While some historians wonder about that coincidental timing, Muybridge used his time abroad, and learned quite a bit about photography during those years. In 1866, Muybridge went to San Francisco, and called himself "Helios" (Muybridge, born Muggerridge, was constantly changing his name to suit his circumstances): a professional photographer was born. Helios hated taking portraits of people; he preferred to photograph landscapes, even if there was no market for that kind of print. In 1867, Helios (Muybridge) traveled to Yosemite, and in essence started the popularity of American Landscape Photography, while at the same time making himself known nationally. While there were photographers that preceded him in terms of landscapes, the photographs of Helios were different - his predecessors focused on space . . . he focused on time. Helios had the gift of capturing time in a still photograph, even with the limited technology in the 1860s.
Above, Helios photographed himself in Yosemite - he called this photograph "Charon at the Ferry" (1868). He envisioned himself as Charon in his boat crossing the river Styx in Greek Mythology
In 1872, back at Yosemite, Helios / Muybridge photographed himself in a very dangerous position. He admitted that it would have been very easy to lose his balance and fall to his death 2000+ feet below. This photograph was used in his murder trial in order to try and illustrate his lack of rational decision-making
Helios just happened to be in San Francisco in 1868 when an earthquake hit the city (while severe, it wasn't nearly as bad as the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake). Helios was actually able to photograph San Francisco before AND after the earthquake. As a result of his Yosemite and San Francisco photographs, Helios was a national figure, and General Henry Halleck selected Helios to go to Alaska with him in 1868 in order to document what was in America's newest territory ("Seward's Folly"). By the late-1860s, the technology of photography had advanced enough where Helios started to feature speed AND time in his prints. The improved technology also allowed Helios to "doctor" photographs in the development stage (it was still the glass-plate era).
In "Cemetery With Cloud Effect" (1875), Muybridge inserted clouds in the sky during the development phase of the photograph. The actual photograph had a clear sky, as you can see in the original photograph at the left.
As you can see in "Cemetery Without Cloud Effect", the photograph isn't as pleasing to the eye. Muybridge (he stopped calling himself Helios by the early-1870s) loved open sky; but in his photographs, he felt clouds enhanced the overall quality of the print . . .
1871 was a big year for Edward Muybridge, in that the studio owners that showcased his photographs introduced him to two people that year: Leland Stanford, his future patron, and Flora Brown, his future wife. That same year, he married Flora Brown, even though she was twenty years old, and he was forty-one. Muybridge constantly left his bride for months at a time for his adventures in photography, and he was completely oblivious to the fact that she had an affair with a man named Harry Larkyn (basically a colorful grifter). In 1873, Muybridge was told of the affair by his housekeeper, and he even warned Larkyn about "California Justice".
When Flora gave birth to a boy in 1874 that was obviously a result of her affair with Larkyn, Muybridge followed through on his threat. Muybridge traveled to Napa Valley near a town called Calistoga, and in a miner's cottage, shot Larkyn in the chest in a doorway in front of several witnesses. Muybridge was almost lynched on the spot, but avoided that fate when one of the witnesses calmed down the throng. Charged with murder, Muybridge needed a lawyer, and Leland Stanford was more than happy to supply one. The first extremely wealthy Californian hired Muybridge to take interior photographs of his palatial mansion in 1871 (later published as a "Picture Book" in the late-1870s), and by 1874 was in the middle of an experiment which involved Muybridge's talent and expertise.
Stanford sent his best lawyer to represent Muybridge, and that lawyer convinced a jury to acquit him of murder (the prosecution helped by insisting on "first degree murder or nothing"). Flora Downs divorced Muybridge as one would expect, and desperately tried to get alimony, but she died suddenly in 1875 at the age of twenty-four, most likely of influenza. Muybridge was completely free to resume his part of the experiment with Leland Stanford, since he no longer had any fear of any financial loss with the death of his former wife (BTW, Muybridge only visited his son, "Harry Jr.", once, when he was nine years old).
When Flora gave birth to a boy in 1874 that was obviously a result of her affair with Larkyn, Muybridge followed through on his threat. Muybridge traveled to Napa Valley near a town called Calistoga, and in a miner's cottage, shot Larkyn in the chest in a doorway in front of several witnesses. Muybridge was almost lynched on the spot, but avoided that fate when one of the witnesses calmed down the throng. Charged with murder, Muybridge needed a lawyer, and Leland Stanford was more than happy to supply one. The first extremely wealthy Californian hired Muybridge to take interior photographs of his palatial mansion in 1871 (later published as a "Picture Book" in the late-1870s), and by 1874 was in the middle of an experiment which involved Muybridge's talent and expertise.
Stanford sent his best lawyer to represent Muybridge, and that lawyer convinced a jury to acquit him of murder (the prosecution helped by insisting on "first degree murder or nothing"). Flora Downs divorced Muybridge as one would expect, and desperately tried to get alimony, but she died suddenly in 1875 at the age of twenty-four, most likely of influenza. Muybridge was completely free to resume his part of the experiment with Leland Stanford, since he no longer had any fear of any financial loss with the death of his former wife (BTW, Muybridge only visited his son, "Harry Jr.", once, when he was nine years old).
The main reason why Stanford supplied an excellent lawyer free-of-charge for Muybridge was that he and Muybridge were in the middle of trying to solve a mystery over which Stanford obsessed. Stanford, a horse-nut, believed that at full-gallop, all four of a horse's hooves left the ground; he wanted to prove that he was right (no one knew for sure). After his acquittal, Stanford purchased a huge tract of land outside of San Francisco in 1876 in order to have a place to keep his race horses, and to also provide a location for Muybridge to continue his work. On "The Farm" were two sequoias, which inspired Stanford to name the area Palo Alto (Tall Tree) - the future home of Stanford University, but that's another story for another U.S. History Blog entry. Stanford purchased over one million dollars worth of equipment in today's dollars for Muybridge to prove his "horse theory" was right.
In 1878, Muybridge finally succeeded in capturing one of Stanford's horses at full gallop with twenty-four photographs. Muybridge had succeeded in stopping time; in 1879, he would "re-start" time. Muybridge invented (and received a patent for) what he called a"Zoopraxiscope", which was a projector he invented to display his twenty-four images so they would appear to be in motion - in essence, he invented the first motion picture projector.
In 1878, Muybridge finally succeeded in capturing one of Stanford's horses at full gallop with twenty-four photographs. Muybridge had succeeded in stopping time; in 1879, he would "re-start" time. Muybridge invented (and received a patent for) what he called a"Zoopraxiscope", which was a projector he invented to display his twenty-four images so they would appear to be in motion - in essence, he invented the first motion picture projector.
In 1880, Leland Stanford, former Governor of California and the Chairman of the Central Pacific Railroad, one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in America, hosted a gathering at his mansion in San Francisco on Nob Hill (Nob was from the Indian word "Nabobs", which meant extreme wealth). The occasion was for Muybridge to display his "motion pictures", including that of Stanford's horse, to California's Elite. The phenomenon of watching objects in motion from a projector was so astounding, that Muybridge actually had three public showings with his projector in the days following his debut at the Stanford mansion. Overnight, Muybridge became a magician with a projector, instead of a murderer with an obsession. However, despite reaching this peak of innovation and fame, there were storm clouds on the horizon. While Stanford spent an exorbitant amount of money on the process, he never really paid Muybridge much at all. By 1882, a little over ten years after they were introduced and solved a vexing mystery together, they would drift apart, and become completely estranged.
The story of Edward Muybridge was not over in 1880 - in the years that followed, he became a celebrated artist / scientist in America and Europe, and had a historically significant conversation with Thomas Edison, but he never again connected with Leland Stanford. How Leland Stanford became incredibly wealthy and powerful, and the role that Thomas Edison played in the development of motion pictures at the expense of Muybridge are for another U.S. History Blog post(s)
The story of Edward Muybridge was not over in 1880 - in the years that followed, he became a celebrated artist / scientist in America and Europe, and had a historically significant conversation with Thomas Edison, but he never again connected with Leland Stanford. How Leland Stanford became incredibly wealthy and powerful, and the role that Thomas Edison played in the development of motion pictures at the expense of Muybridge are for another U.S. History Blog post(s)