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Jan 1, 600
Anthemius uses camera obscura
In the 6th century, Greek mathematician and architect Anthemius of Tralles used a type of camera obscura in his experiments. -
Portable camera obscura is invented
English scientist Robert Boyle and his assistant Robert Hooke developed a portable camera obscura in the 1660s. -
Isaac Newton discovers white light is composed of different colors
Isaac Newton discovers that white light is composed of different colors. -
More practicle camera obscura invented
The first camera obscura that was small and portable enough for practical use was built by Johann Zahn in 1685. -
Mixture developed to darken under exposure light
In 1724, Johann Heinrich Schultz discovered that a silver and chalk mixture darkens under exposure to light. Early photography built on these discoveries and developments. -
First Panorama
First Panorama opens, the forerunner of the movie house invented by Robert Barker. -
First permanent photograph created
The first permanent photograph was made in 1826 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce using a sliding wooden box camera made by Charles and Vincent Chevalier in Paris and building on Johann Heinrich Schultz's discovery -
The word photography first used
The word photography was first used in the year 1839. -
Improved photraphing techniques
By 1840, when techniques had improved and exposure times were shortened, Portrait photography became fashionable. -
Development of collodion wet plate process
The development of the collodion wet plate process by Frederick Scott Archer in 1850 cut exposure times dramatically, but required photographers to prepare and develop their glass plates on the spot, usually in a mobile darkroom. -
First color photograph
The first color photograph was made by Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell, with the help of English inventor and photographer Thomas Sutton, in 1861. -
The brownie
First mass-marketed camera—the Brownie. -
First 35mm
First 35mm still camera developed. -
Early 35mm
An early 35mm still camera was the Tourist Multiple from 1914. -
Electronic video camera tube was invented
The electronic video camera tube was invented in the 1920s, starting a line of development that eventually resulted in digital cameras, which largely supplanted film cameras after the turn of the 21st century.
