History of Photography

Wedgwood and Davy's Experiments Put In the Journal of the Royal Institution of Great Britain

1802

Wedgwood and Davy released information about their experiments in this journal. They experimented with light-sensitive materials and camera obscura. They created images, but had the issue of permanence. While they weren't very successful with photography, they were still well-known in the science world.
(Photo event) Image of Journal Piece:
https://flic.kr/p/y4EiZC

The Louisiana Purchase

1803

The US bought about 830,000 square miles of land from France. This includes many of the states in the middle of our country today, including Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and more. This almost doubled the size of the US at the time.
(Historical event)

First Successful Steamboat Trip

1807

The steamboat created a new form of transportation. The steamboat was invented by Robert Fulton and was used to transport people and goods.
(Non-photo Invention)

"View From the Window at Le Gras"

1826

This image was considered to be the first permanent photograph. It was created by Niépce using a process he called heliography. The plate he used was exposed for 8 hours. The image wasn't very good technically, but it was a step forward towards the invention of photography.
(Photo event)

Indian Removal Act

1830

This act justified the removal of Native Americans from their land at the time. This act led to the Trail of Tears, or the relocation of around 60,000 Native Americans. The people of the United States forced them to move west, away from their homelands. Many didn't survive the long journey.
(Historical event)

Daguerreotype Was Announced

Aug 19, 1839

Daguerre's invention was presented by Arago, a scientist who endorsed his invention, to the Academy of Science and the Academy of Fine Arts. The French government gave Daguerre a pension in exchange for his photographic process and shared the instructions with the world.
(Photo event)

"Self-Portrait as a Drowned Man"

1840

Bayard took this photograph in response to the announcement of the Daguerreotype. He had also created a process for photography, but wasn't known for his innovation. However, he did continue to take photographs.
(Photo event)

Talbot Patented the Calotype

1841

This was another early photographic process, but this one was unique because it used a negative, which meant multiple copies could be made of a photograph. He had created images as early as 1833, and was surprised when Daguerre's invention was released.
(Photo event)

First Photography Book: 'British Algae, Volume I'

1843

The process used to create the images in British Algae, Volume I by Anna Atkins, was the cyanotype. This process was created by Herschel and was unique due to its blue color, simplicity, and low cost.
(Photo event)

Hill and Adamson

1843

Around the mid 1840s, Hill and Adamson met each other. These two collaborated to create many memorable photographs, including a project based on the people of New Haven. They were well known for their team effort: Hill being the creative director, and Adamson being the technical photographer.
(Photo event)

Telegraph

1844

Samuel Morse invented the telegraph, which allowed for long-distance communication.
(Non-photo Invention)

Mexican-American War

1846

This was the first war photographed, however, the photos weren't widely dispersed and many of the photographers were unknown. Photos from this war were daguerreotypes. The war lasted from 1846-1848.
(Photo Event)

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Feb 2, 1848

This treaty ended the Mexican-American war, giving the US more land, which today is California, New Mexico, and more. This is another event that marks how the US continued its expansion and 'manifest destiny.'
(Historical Event)

California Gold Rush

1849

A gold nugget was discovered in Sacramento Valley, California in 1848, which caused a rush of people to move there. By the end of 1849, the population in California had grown to 100,000. This also led to California becoming a state in 1850.
(Historical event)

Stereograph Photography

1849

This invention created a 3D photo effect. A twin lens camera was used to create two images that could be put next to each other and viewed through a stereoscope. Many photos from the Civil War were taken in this format and allowed for the viewer to understand what war was like. It was used from the 1850's on.
(photo event)

Wet Collodian Process

1851

This was a photographic progress invented by Frederick Scott Archer. You needed to have a portable darkroom with this process because you had to develop the photograph before the plate dried. This process could produce several types of prints, which include an ambrotype, tintype, and paper photographs.
(Photo event)

Crimea War

1853

The war was between the Russian empire and an alliance of France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire, and Sardinia. This was the "first substantial war photographed." Not the very first war photographed, but countries sent photographers specifically to take photos of it. Famous photos came from this event, including many from Roger Fenton*. The war went on from 1853-56.
(Photo event)
*See "Valley of the Shadow of Death"

"Valley of the Shadow of Death" by Roger Fenton

1855

This was one of many early war photographs. This photo was taken by Roger Fenton, who is one of the most well known photographers of early war. This photo shows the aftermath of a battle. Photographers had to find ways to show war without movement due to technical issues of long exposure times and the danger of developing a photograph in a battlefield (since they had to be developed right after the photo was taken in a portable darkroom).
(Photo event)

'The Two Ways of Life' by Rejlander

1857

This photograph is one of the most known tableau vivant pieces and was created from over 30 negatives. It was a large image, especially at the time. The process was compared to painting. Photographers wanted to prove photography was an art form.
(Photo Event)

"Photograph of Alice Liddell"

1858

This photograph was taken by Charles Dodgson, later known as Lewis Carrol. This photograph contributed to the controversial nature of his work due to the fact that out of all of his photographs, over half were of children, thirty of which were photographed nude or semi-nude. People questioned his intentions, and it brought up the issue of if it is ethical to photograph children, especially in a nude or semi-nude way. He later wrote "Alice in Wonderland".
(Photo event)

Start of the Civil War

1861

The war between the Union (north) and Confederacy (south). The war had to do with differences in beliefs about slavery, and other matters. 620,000 people died in this war and many more were injured. The war lasted until 1865.
(Historical event)

"The Last of the Tasmanians"

1866

This was a collection of photographs taken by C. A. Woolley. The photographs were of Trucanini, one of the remaining members of the Tasmanians, a Native American tribe that was going to become extinct (at the time the photos were taken; group is now extinct).
(Photo event)

Book: 'Photographic Sketchbook of the War'

1866

This was a photography book by Alexander Gardner that included about 100 photographs of the Civil war, including well known ones such as "Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter". It was a labor intensive process and costly to make a book like this at the time. Only 200 copies were made.

(photo event)

Yellowstone-The First National Park

1872

The first national park is established by President at the time, U.S. Grant. Many national parks have been established in the US and most are still preserved today and can be visited.

Kodak Camera Manufactured

1888

This was a huge step in photography because it made it easier for regular people to take photographs as long as they could afford it. The cameras were pretty easy to use and people didn't need to know how to develop their own photographs.
(Photo Event)

First Modern Olympic Games

1896

The first international Olympic games in history. It was held in Athens, Greece from April 6-15, 1896. The Olympics has expanded a lot since then and includes way more countries than the original ones. The US participated in this first modern olympic event along with 10-15 others.
(Historical Event)

Photo Secession Formed

1902

This group was formed by Alfred Stieglitz with a goal of sharing photography around the world. He also created "Camera Work" which was a periodical that had a variety of artwork featured in it, including photography.
(Photo Event)

First US Movie Theatre Opens

1902

This is an advancement in the film and entertainment industry. The first of many movie theaters. Movie theaters, although different from this original one, are still popular today.
(Historial Event)