Short Introduction

The Kingston Muybridge bequest is one of the largest collections of Muybridge material in the world and holds great historical significance. A native of Kingston upon Thames, Muybridge bequeathed his moving image equipment, lecture slides and other material to Kingston Museum. This bequest included Muybridge’s original Zoopraxiscope machine and 68 zoopraxiscope discs, of which 71 remain in the world. Muybridge’s biunial lantern with which he gave lectures in conjunction with the Zoopraxiscope, also resides within the collection, as do two near identical albums of prints entitled ‘Attitudes of Animals in Motion’. Also included in the bequest was a complete 13 panel panorama of San Francisco, thousands of images on glass (Muybridge’s lantern slides) and many collotype prints from Animal Locomotion. Another highlight of this bequest is Muybridge’s own scrapbook, in which he documents his career through contemporary newspapers cuttings and articles.
Since Muybridge’s initial bequest, the museum has continued to collect Muybridge material, and is now in possession of many other artifacts besides those of the bequest; such as the research notes of Dr. Robert Bartlett Haas, a Muybridge Biographer and author of the seminal 1976 publication ‘Muybridge: Man in Motion’.

Past Exhibitions

Publications: Herbert, Stephen et al. ed. Eadweard Muybridge : the Kingston Museum Bequest (Hastings, East Sussex : Projection Box, c2004.)Exhibitions: Special Viewing of original Muybridge photographs, Kingston Museum (UK), 2004.  Leaflet:
Eadweard Muybridge, printed c.1990, advertising the long-term exhibition set up in Kingston Museum (Surrey) in 1984.

Rights & Reproduction Information

Please see the Museum and Heritage Service website for full details. https://More Information

Online Presence

Eadweard Muybridge information

Collection Items:

Photographic Material

Prints: 550

Images on Glass: 2534

Publications

Newspaper Cuttings: Various

Magazines: Various

Booklets: Various

Leaflets: Various

Other: Various

Articles: Various

Books concerning Muybridge: Various

Books by Muybridge: Various

Zoopraxography

Other: Various

Zoopraxiscope fans: Various

Zoopraxiscope discs: 68

Zoopraxiscope Machine: 1

Photographic Equipment

Carrying Cases: Various

Other: Various

Other technical equipment: Various

Projection Equipment

Lantern slide projectors: Various

Lenses: Various

Notes/measurement tables etc: Various

Other: Various

Exhibition Material

Prospectus: Various

Catalogues: Various

Leaflets: Various

Press Releases: Various

Posters: Various

Photographs of Exhibitions: Various

Unpublished paper & documents

Other: Various

Letters: Various

Correspondence: Various

Research notes: Various

Ephemera

Other: Various