Just two years after "Roundhay Garden Scene" came this eight second little wonder showing a fly, in silhouette, taking off. It was made by Étienne-Jules Marey, a French scientist and pioneer in the fields of cardiology, physical instrumentation, aviation, cinematography and the science of laboratory photography. He was very interested in movement of the human body, and that interest apparently extended to the movement of members of the animal kingdom.
Marey's films were of excellent quality for his time. He is credited for making several films in the late 19th century, the earliest of them being dated 1885, which technically was before the first motion picture. That title is "L'homme machine", and can be found on youtube. It is actually the tracing of the motion of man and was likely just a series of photographs taken with Marey's chronophotographic gun, which was capable of taking 12 consecutive frames a second, with all the frames recorded on the same picture.
The next time you enjoy a nature film by David Attenborough, remember this pioneer in the study and recording of the motion of both man and animals.
