In 1826, Niépce used his heliography process to capture the first photograph, but his pioneering work was soon to be overshadowed by the invention of the daguerreotype.
The world’s earliest surviving negative and Fox Talbot’s mousetrap cameras—priceless artefacts from the birth of photography—are stored here in our archives.
What is a camera obscura and where can you see one? Read on for a potted history, list of UK camera obscuras and helpful contacts.