In an age where billions of images are shared daily, often enhanced or even generated by artificial intelligence, it's easy to forget that the act of "taking a picture" was once a painstaking, almost alchemical endeavor.

In an age where billions of images are shared daily, often enhanced or even generated by artificial intelligence, it’s easy to forget that the act of “taking a picture” was once a painstaking, almost alchemical endeavor.

The story begins not with a camera, but with a darkened room. The principle of the camera obscura – Latin for “darkened chamber” – was known for centuries, described by ancient Chinese philosophers and later refined by Arab scholars and Renaissance artists like Leonardo da Vinci.

This simple device, a pinhole projecting an inverted image onto an opposite surface, served as an aid for drawing and painting. However, it was merely an optical phenomenon; the challenge lay in making the image permanent.

The early 19th century saw a flurry of experimentation with light-sensitive materials. Thomas Wedgwood, son of the famous potter, made “sun prints” on paper and leather treated with silver nitrate around 1800, but these images faded rapidly when exposed to light.

The true breakthrough came from Nicéphore Niépce, a French inventor. In 1826 or 1827, using a pewter plate coated........

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