Man Walking, 1882

French scientist Étienne-Jules Marey is perhaps best-known as a pioneer of chronophotography, a photographic technique that captured several sequential frames of movement into a single image. In 1882, Marey invented a chronophotographic gun that was capable of taking 12 consecutive frames per second and used these pictures to study the movement of animals, fish and birds. His work was very influential on Eadweard Muybridge (see previous lot); their combined efforts led directly to the subsequent development of motion pictures, as well as informing Futurism.