<p>Centuries of advances in chemistry and optics, including the invention of the camera obscura, set the stage for the world’s first photograph. In 1826, French scientist Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, took that photograph, titled <i>View from the Window at Le Gras</i>, at his family’s country home. Niépce produced his photo—a view of a courtyard and outbuildings seen from the house’s upstairs window—by exposing a bitumen-coated plate in a camera obscura for several hours on his windowsill.</p>
<p><a onclick="return addthis_sendto()" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php"> </a></p>
World's First Photograph
Centuries of advances in chemistry and optics, including the invention of the camera obscura, set the stage for the world’s first photograph. In 1826, French scientist Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, took that photograph, titled View from the Window at Le Gras, at his family’s country home. Niépce produced his photo—a view of a courtyard and outbuildings seen from the house’s upstairs window—by exposing a bitumen-coated plate in a camera obscura for several hours on his windowsill.
See famous photography milestone pictures (such as the first photo, the first color photo, and the first photo of movement) in this photo gallery, from National Geographic.
DON'T MISS THE REST OF THIS STORY!
Create a free account to continue and get unlimited access to hundreds of Nat Geo articles, plus newsletters.
Sign Upfor your free account. Or get a Premium Subscription, just $19.SUBSCRIBE
Create your free account to continue reading
No credit card required. Unlimited access to free content.
Or get a Premium Subscription to access the best of Nat Geo - just $19
80 years ago, young men of color were attacked for their “unpatriotic” fashion choices, leading to the Zoot Suit Riots. The repercussions can still be felt today.
Is banning fishing bad for fishermen? Not in this marine reserve
Ocean life is flourishing inside Mexico’s Revillagigedo National Park, and the commercial fishing industry is flourishing outside of it, a new study shows. “We can have our fish and eat them too.”