Eadweard Muybridge to David Starr Jordan, 1897-02-24

Philadelphia 24 February 1897 Dr David Starr Jordan President of the Leland Stanford Junior University Palo Alto California

Dear Sir:

A few days ago, while looking over some of the results of my preliminary investigation of animal locomotion made in California 1872 to 1881, I found two series of transparent positives, and a negative, illustrating the stride of a canter by a pony when ridden by the young gentleman from whom your university derives its name. Thinking they would

interest Mrs. Stanford, and possibly be considered, from their associations, a desirable acquisition to your Museum, I have taken the opportunity of sending you the negatives, and one of the sets of glass positives, the other set of positives I have sent to Mrs Stanford.

The photographic negatives were made at Palo Alto in May 1879 on wetcollodion plates. The two glass photographs --not of the series--of a horse trotting and another walking were made in 1878. I think I destroyed all those made in previous years.

I have however some others of these made in 1878-79 which (that is glass positives) which if you care to have for the Museum, I will send you with pleasure. They may be interesting as early examples of a system of photographic research the value and importance of which, is developing year by year.

Faithfully Yours

Eadweard Muybridge