The historical context is fascinating indeed, but I also want to point out how beautifully composed these shots are. Most adhere to the rule of thirds perfectly. The pole vault shot - the least-adherant to the rule of thirds - still takes advantage of negative space to make the feat appear more dire.

At this time, photography was still working to gain the artistic image that painting had carried for centuries, so it's always great to see such artistic assertions on such rudimentary tech. Very pioneering.