Cocoa Palm, Retalhuleu
Eadweard J. Muybridge
American, born England. 1830–1904
1875
An albumen silver print by Eadweard Muybridge that records a sunlit tropical village street in Retalhuleu, framed by towering palms and low thatched houses.
What strikes you is the dramatic vertical sweep of the palms leaning over a quiet dirt road, the crisp contrasts of light and shadow across the scene, and a solitary figure whose small scale makes the landscape feel expansive.
Made during Muybridge’s 1870s travels, this photograph shows how albumen prints brought remote places and everyday life to wider audiences, helping establish photography as a tool for documentary observation and visual knowledge.
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
5 3/8 × 9 3/8" (13.6 × 23.8 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Transferred from The Museum of Modern Art Library, New York
Accession
182.1964.78
Palette
Exhibitions
