Picturing time : the work of Etienne-Jules Marey (1830-1904) /

Most widely remembered for his studies that recorded movement and thus expanded our conception of time and motion through visual analysis, multifaceted French inventor Marey paved the way for advances in aviation, motion pictures, physical education, military reform, and labor efficiency. Marey's chronophotography, inspired by Eadweard Muybridge's work of the late 1870s, even more fully broke down the study of movement as a continuous action, which allowed for greater examination and, ultimately, greater truth. Braun (Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, Toronto) researched Marey's work for more than ten years and was able to draw upon much material hitherto thought lost or destroyed. This book is a model for such a study: rich in detail and factual evidence, with vivid illustrations and diagrams, and a finely woven text that unfolds Marey's biography, the details of his inventions, and the genius of his mind. Braun further explores the legacy Marey left in the development of many fields of endeavor that were to have such a profound effect on the development of early modernist thinking and that are particularly evident in our painting and literature. This important study brings renewed significance to the study of photographic imagery and photographic methods at the junctures of science and the applied and fine arts. Highly recommended for all libraries concerned with the art, technology, and scientific thought of the period. Advanced undergraduate and beyond. P. C. Bunnell; Princeton University