Photography History, Early & 19th Century Cameras, Photo Galleries

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In the age of the digital camera, it can be a bit humbling to see the results that early photographers achieved with the simplest equipment. The modern photographer owes a great debt to these pioneers who struggled to capture images and develop better techniques and cameras for those who followed.

There are many good photographic history sites online. These few will lead you to many more. Surf through them and prepare to be amazed at the beauty captured by both primitive cameras and more complicated processes.

A History of Photography - Digging back to Leonardo in 1519, this history runs through the 1920's. Processes and people who were influential in the development of modern photography are covered.

Midley History of Photography - Solid info and references from R. Derek Wood’s articles on "The Early History of Photography, the Daguerreotype and Diorama."

The Photographic Historical Society - Reference site which bills itself as the original society devoted to the history of photography and the preservation of photo antiques. Not many pictures, but abundant links.

The American Museum of Photography - Loaded with photos and information. Resist the temptation to jump right into the exhibits and see what else is offered first. Be sure to check the links section before you leave.

SFMOMA - The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's Photography collection began in 1935 but the photos date back to the 1840's.

An Exhibition at The Museum of the History of Science, Oxford - From old cameras (hand-held camera obscura, c. 1700) and a woman pioneer photographer to the equipment used by Lawrence of Arabia, this site offers a tour of photographic history and techniques not to be missed.

Fratelli Alinari - An Italian archive founded in 1852 with more than 3,500,000 photographs dating from the invention of photography to the present. There's an annual fee to search - edu.alinari.it, but looking is free.

Motion Photography - From the Pieces of Science Series, this site discusses Eadweard Muybridge and the development of moving pictures. Examples of early animation and other learning tools are included.