Eadweard Muybridge
Eadweard Muybridge was the most significant contributor to the early study of human and animal locomotion. ... Muybridge first gained recognition in 1867 for a series of dramatic Yosemite views. In 1872 Muybridge was asked by California Governor, Leland Stanford (who was breeding race horses) to settle a bet regarding the position of a trotting horses legs and if all four feet were ever off of the ground at the same time. “Stanford engaged Muybridge to record the movements of a trotting horse and to assist in building a theory of locomotion. Using the fastest shutter available, Muybridge was able to provide only the faintest image. ... Muybridge concentrated his efforts on studies of the motion of animals and human models.