History

of

Photography

Photography comes from the Greek words meaning, “light writing.”

• No one person is credited with inventing photography

• Photography took several hundred years to reach present state

• Camera Obscura was the first camera - 1500

• 1725 – Johann Schulze – discovered first light-sensitive material

• 1816 – Joseph Niepce – World’s first photograph

• 1835 – Louis Daguerre – Daguerreotypes – silver sheets exposed to iodine vapor – Latent image – metal plate – only one print could be made

• 1841 – William Fox Talbot – Invented Calotypes or Talbotypes – Used paper – This technique of making a positive print from a negative is the basis of modern photography. Not as detailed, Multiple prints made.

• 1851 – Frederick Scott Archer – Discovered Wet plate photography - Used collodion – a plastic-like substance to coat the plate. Had to be developed immediately, therefore photographers took darkrooms with them.

• 1871 – Richard Maddox – Invented dry plate photography – replaced wet collodion with gelatin and silver nitrate. Could be developed later. Changed photography forever. No longer had to take darkrooms along with them.

• 1861 – James Maxwell – Demonstrated the first color photographs

• 1888 – George Eastman – Introduced the 100-shot box camera

• 1900 – George Eastman – Introduced the first Kodak “Brownie” camera

• 1930s – Flashbulb was invented

• 1947 – Edwin Land – Invented the Polaroid Land Camera

• What has happened since?????

Camera Obscura

The camera obscura was a darkened room with a convex lens

inserted in one wall. (curved outward) The scene outside the all passed through the lens and was

projected on the opposite wall in full color. The image was smaller and turned upside down. Artist used it to trace the scene and paint. Later the camera obscura became a box like the one in this picture. In the box type, the image is reflected onto the top-mounted viewing

screen by an inclined mirror behind the lens. The artist puts a piece of tracing paper on top of the viewing

screen and traces the outline.

Joseph Niepce

First Photograph

Louis Daguerre

Daguerreotypes

William Fox Talbot

Calotypes or Talbotypes

Wet Plate Dry Plate had to take along darkroom

used collodion to coat glass plate

used silver nitrate to sensitize to light

plates had to be developed immediately

Glass negative produced high quality prints

Frederick Scott Archer invented this

Used gelatin and silver nitrate

Plate retained its sensitivity to light for some time

Portable darkroom no longer needed

Plate could be developed anytime after exposure

Changed photography forever

Founded by Richard L. Maddox

George Eastman

Introduced 100-shot box camera – first to use flexible roll film

Introduced the Kodak Brownie camera in 1900

Founder of the Eastman/Kodak Company

Edwin Land Invented the Polaroid Instamatic Land Camera in 1947.

Photos would develop instantly after exposure.