Indecent Exposures

“Sarah Gordon draws on a constellation of fascinating archival finds and inferences to offer a provocative and vital new interpretation of Animal Locomotion.”—Robin Kelsey, Harvard University

~Robin Kelsey, Harvard University

“Indecent Exposures offers a fascinating new look at photography and modernity, and also at the forces shaping late nineteenth-century American society and culture, including the dynamics of science, professionalization, the rise of university-based scientific patronage, class, and gender.  It is a welcome contribution to the growing body of scholarship that is bringing photographic practices into the center of historical analysis.” —Jennifer Tucker, Wesleyan University

~Jennifer Tucker, Wesleyan University

“Sarah Gordon’s willingness to move beyond the technology and aesthetics of motion and discuss meaning found in the unique presentation of Muybridge’s grids—and in the individual images—leads to a fascinating discussion of his true subject matter when photographing nudes: the artist’s and viewer’s gaze.”—Philip Brookman, National Gallery of Art

~Philip Brookman, National Gallery of Art