Taxonomy of Data Visualization Methods - Data Visualization: A Successful Design Process - page 124

Small multiples (or trellis chart)
Data variables : Multiple x categorical, multiple x quantitative.
Visual variables : Position, any visual variable.
Description : Small multiples are not really a separate chart type but an arrangement
approach that facilitates efficient and effective comparisons to be made across a
multipanel display of small chart elements. These displays exploit the capacity of
our visual system to rapidly scan across a trellis of small similar charts and to be
capable of easily and immediately spotting patterns. These are particularly useful for
comparing categories that have a broad range of values. They also work very well for
showing snapshots of events that change over time. One of the earliest examples of
this approach was The Horse in Motion by Eadweard Muybridge to show the different
stages of a horse's movement over a time frame-by-frame. A trellis chart is shown in
the following image: