The Story of Photography

In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business. But he was not a good artist. So, he invented a very simple camera. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his yard. That was the first photograph.

The next important date in the history of photography was 1837. that year, Daguerre, another Frenchman, took a picture of his studio. He used a new kind of camera and a different process. In his pictures, you could see anything clearly, even the smallest details. This kind of photograph was called a daguerreotype.

Soon, other people began to use Daguerre's process. Travelers brought back daguerreotypes from all over the world. People photographed famous buildings, cities, and mountains.

In about 1840, the process was improved. Then photographers could take pictures of people and moving things. The process was not simple. The photographers had to carry lots of film and processing equipment. But this did not stop the photographers, especially in the United States. After 1840, daguerreotypes artists were popular in most cities.

Matthew Brady was one well-known American photographer. He took many portraits of famous people. The portraits were unusual because they were lifelike and full of personality. Brady was only the first person to take picture of a war. His 1862 Civil War pictures showed dead soldiers and ruined cities. They made the war seem more real and more terrible.

In 1880s, new inventions began to change photography. Photographers could buy film readymade in rolls. So, they did not have to make the film themselves. Also, they did not have to process the film immediately. They could bring it back to their studios and develop it later. They did not have to carry lots of equipment. And finally, the invention of the small handheld camera made photography less expensive.

With the small camera, anyone could be a photographer. People began to use cameras just for fun. They took pictures of their families, friends, and favorite places. They called these pictures "snapshots"

Documentary photographs became popular in newspaper in the 1890s. Soon magazines and books also used them. These pictures showed true events and people. They were much more real than drawings.

Some people also began to think of photography as a form of art. That thought that photography could do more than show the real world. It could also show ideas and feelings, like other art forms.