Muybridge Gallery at Kingston Museum
Kingston Museum has a permanent gallery dedicated to its internationally significant Muybridge Collection. Arranged into six themes: Famous Lecturer, Muybridge in Kingston, Flying Horse, Animal Locomotion, Magnificent Views, and The Magic of Moving Images, the Muybridge Gallery showcases around 50 items from the museum’s extensive collection that reflect Muybridge’s life and work. While illustrating his diverse photographic achievements in landscapes and motion studies, the display highlights Muybridge’s lecturing career and his unique connection to Kingston, rooted in his residences in the town and his bequest to the museum. Some objects on display, such as the original Zoopraxiscope and a carrying case of discs, can only be seen at Kingston Museum.
The museum shop offers a variety of Muybridge items, including books, stationery, and many more. Prints of Muybridge’s images from the collection are also available on Art UK’s online shop.
Kingston Museum
Open Thursday – Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm (free entry)
Wheatfield Way, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2PS, UK
Muybridge at
Kingston University’s Town House
Thanks to the ongoing partnership between Kingston Museum and Kingston University, the museum presents a selection of objects from its Muybridge Collection at Kingston University’s landmark building, Town House, located a 10-minute walk from the museum. In addition, the rest of the museum’s extensive Muybridge Collection is now housed in a high-quality storage facility within the university’s archives at the Town House. This stored collection is available for research appointments. For more information, please contact Kingston Museum.
The Town House also features panel displays that showcase Muybridge’s work and legacy throughout the building. The Muybridge-themed ‘Eadweard’s Café’ at the Town House is popular among students, visitors, and local residents. This collaborative and accessible presentation highlights the significance of Kingston Museum’s Muybridge Collection as a treasured asset of the town’s cultural heritage.
Kingston University’s Town House
Open Daily
Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2EQ, UK
Research appointment enquiry: kingston.museum@kingston.gov.uk
Online Exhibits
Kingston Museum has partnered with Google Arts and Culture to present two online exhibits on Muybridge’s life and work, titled ‘Ingenious Landscape Photographer’ and ‘Muybridge’s Pioneering Motion Pictures’. The online stories and many images from the museum’s collection can be accessed here.
In 2020, the museum collaborated with Tim Wheatley, an animator of children’s TV shows, such as Peppa Pig and Footy Pups, to create ‘Muybridge and the Time Travelling Camera’. This short animation about Muybridge and the Kingston Museum’s collection is suitable for everyone.