Stop Motion

The photo camera is an indispensable instrument

Our exhibition Stop Motion focuses on the unique moment in the history of science, art and photography when the camera was found to be superior to the human eye. It became an essential tool for observing and recording the world around us.

Here, for the first time, the Rijksmuseum presents some 25 original prints of the world famous photographs by British-American photographer Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904). The selection includes images that where the first to accurately document the movements of humans and wild and domestic animals. These prints are accompanied in this exhibition by glass negatives by the French photographer and scientist Étienne-Jules Marey (1830-1904), who was conducting similar movement studies in the same period.