Saturday Edition: Eadweard Muybridge

Animal Locomotion; Plate 187, Dancing (Fancy) by Eadweard Muybridge
8"x10" ($20) | 11"x14" ($50) | 16"x20" ($200)

Good morning, collectors! Hope this finds you well this fine Saturday. Reporting sunny skies from NYC as I slip a little art in your inbox from one of photography's most influential heroes: Mr. Eadweard Muybridge. Animal Locomotion; Plate 187, Dancing (Fancy) is our second vintage print, a fitting follow-up to the entirely sold-out Animal Locomotion; Plate 197 (Couple Dancing).

Dancing (Fancy) appears in museum collections around the world, accompanying notes about Mr. Muybridge's considerable contributions to both art and science as well as juicy bits from his made-for-the-movies life. An eccentric fellow born as Edward James Muggeridge, he changed his name several times, finally settling on a spelling to match that of King Edward as shown on the plinth of the Kingston coronation stone. Long a resident of San Francisco, he also lived in Central America, leaving the U.S. after standing trial for killing his wife's lover. Ignoring his plea of insanity, a jury of married men acquitted him, calling his actions entirely justifiable. The sensational saga spawned the great Philip Glass's 1982 opera The Photographer.

While old tales surround Muybridge and his famous works, new ones abound. Of the sweetest is James Danziger's seeking, finding, losing and re-finding Couple Dancing, but the story we're most excited about marks an important chapter in 20x200 history: the initiation of our artist fund. Jen introduced it here, writing:

Supporting contemporary artists in their practices is, and will always be, core to 20x200's mission. The introduction of vintage editions today is a key component to furthering and expanding upon that mission... you can purchase this print today knowing that a substantial portion of its proceeds will be funneled into 20x200's newly formed Artists' Fund.

With the spinning miss in Dancing (Fancy) we're taking another step forward in establishing the artist fund. Big thanks to the Trustees of the Boston Public Library, Rare Books Department for contributing to this epic tale that's only just beginning.

— Sara

Courtesy of the Trustees of the Boston Public Library, Rare Books Department.