Step back in time and witness the birth of photography through a captivating photo documentary. Explore the pioneering moments when the world’s first photographs were captured, revealing the evolution of this remarkable art form and its profound impact on how we perceive and document the world around us. Join us on a visual journey that showcases the pioneers, the equipment, and the incredible stories behind those early photographic milestones.
The world’s first photograph made in a camera was taken in 1826 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce using the first proper camera. The photograph was taken from the upstairs windows of Niépce’s estate in the Burgundy region of France. This image was captured via a process known as heliography, which used Bitumen of Judea (the naturally occurring Syrian asphalt) coated onto a piece of glass or metal; the Bitumen then hardened in proportion to the amount of light that hit it.
Being an inventor meant that plenty would always look at Nikola Tesla and wonder what was going on. Still, without his work on electricity, we might not have access to the supply and methods that so many of us are used to seeing nowadays. The Tesla coil is still his most famous invention of them all. What about the magnifying transmitter? Amazingly, it was Nikola’s advanced version of the coil and allowed energy to be transmitted wirelessly, with Nikola seemingly unbothered by what was going on above his head. Thankfully, historical photos like this allow us to see what it was like in Tesla’s laboratory found in Colorado Springs back in 1899.
Salvador Dalí will forever be known as one of the most influential artists of all time. He was a surrealist artist who used his technical skills and bizarre images to create some of the most recognizable pieces. It turns out Dalí was also sometimes the focus of his art. One of those moments came in 1948. That’s the moment Dalí teamed up with photographer Philippe Halsman to create the Dalí Atomicus, a photo that was meant to bring the idea of suspension to life. Thrown objects, Dalí jumping, and suspension wires were all used to create the illusion. Apparently, it took 28 tries to get the final shot, with the behind-the-scenes snaps something incredible.
Women in Montreal during 1939 seemingly went to some strange lengths to protect their faces throughout the snowstorms. The answer? To use plastic face shields. While it might be designed to see the snow slip straight off, it might be a little challenging to get too close to anyone while wearing one of these additions. Maybe that was the point?
The start of the 20th century saw a lot of distress across the world. The World Wars dominated so many years of the century and saw people go to extreme lengths to keep safe. The First World War began in 1914 and raged on until 1918, with this photo being taken toward the end of the conflict in 1917. It turns out the dog was from France and worked with the Red Cross, meaning they needed some protection to keep safe. That’s where the dog gas mask was born. While the world knows plenty about what went on during the war, not everyone knows about how far people went to protect their four-legged friends.
The 1950s marked a major turning point in ammunition history. More specifically, 1952. The US was long leading the race for having the most powerful weapon of them all until the Soviet Union came along with their atomic bomb. It wasn’t long before the US knew it needed to step things up and got to work on the H-bomb. This historical photo is from the first test of the H-bomb, detonated over the Marshall Islands on October 31, 1952. The following day, Mike – the official H-bomb – was detonated and caused destruction that had never been seen. The mushroom cloud shot 57,000 feet in 90 seconds and ultimately reached 60 miles across by the time it was done.
Does anyone remember the Lion in Hollywood movies during the late 80’s and 90s? Here’s a rare photo of the MGM lion preparing to roar before the beginning of every movie. This was released in the studio in 1928. Wanna know the name of this handsome Lion? His name is Jack. MGM actually gave all of their pet lions the name “Leo.” but only the real one was named that. Cool!
Were you a fan of the silent movie era in Hollywood? If you were, then you’d be happy to see this photo. This rare image shows a very young Helen Keller, seated center, with the amazing Charlie Chaplin. In 1919, he was considered the golden star of the silent movie era. Helen Keller could not see or hear either, so, you can guess why Charlie Chaplin became the king of silent movies.
Have you ever imagined the Statue of Liberty being constructed? Did you know it was initially built in France before finding its way to New York? Well, this photo is a rare look at the statue as it was being built before getting carefully shipped and pieced together on her pedestal. Here you can also see her left hand cradling the tablet while the workers constructed the rest of her parts in 1884.
No, this photo is not of the Titanic. Although it looks quite similar, this is a photo of the Hindenburg Disaster taken on May 6th, 1937. This sensational photo occurred when the German airship carrying many passengers caught fire when it was trying to dock at a Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, in New Jersey. A total of 36 people were killed in the fire, but thankfully 62 people survived. The event was marked by photographs, newsreel coverage, and eyewitness testimonies that were recorded and played back on the radio to this day. Such a rare opportunity to take this kind of photo. Amazing!
In this photo, we see a little girl sitting on the ruins of her destroyed home while holding her favorite doll, trying to comfort herself. It seems like such an emotional photo, but that’s because it is. It gives you all kinds of feelings. This happened right after a bomb landed in London in 1940. These bombings were done by the German Army and were known to be called the Blitz as part of World War II. Hopefully, this little girl turned out okay.
Do you know what the Berlin Wall was made for? Well, in this photo, we see the Berlin wall when it was built back in 1961. This wall was made to separate East Germany and West Germany. It was built by the German Democratic Republic to cut off the Western part of the City. It was both an ideological and physical barrier. In this rare image, you can see the eastern side working to build the wall while the other side started to wonder what was going on