Author: Neeka Yazdani

Today, photography seems very simple and accessible, especially with our portable and mobile devices. However, it was not the same for the people of the 19th century. The invention of the first permanent photo changed the course of our creative lives forever and has gotten us to the incredible technology today. How did photography make its start anyways?

Origin

It wasn’t until 1826 that the first permanent photo was developed by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in France, using a camera obscura to capture an image of the courtyard of his estate and project and copy onto a pewter sheet coated with light-sensitive substances.

What is a camera obscura?

A camera obscura, meaning “dark room” in Latin, was used to create images by reflecting light onto a screen or sheet. Initially, camera obscuras consisted of using an angled mirror in a box with a small opening to reflect light entered from the outside onto another surface, inside a dark room. As seen in the diagram below, they acted as an enlarged retina, which displays the flipped image coming through the eye lens, or angled mirror in this case.

Who is Joseph Nicéphore Niépce?

Joseph Nicéphore Niépce was a French inventor, born in 1765 in Chalon-sur-Saône, France, and died in the same town in 1833. Niépce began his research with photography and engineering after returning from the French army. He began experimenting with lithography – a printing process – and became curious to find a way to produce images without drawing, as his illustration skills were quite weak.

He developed heliography, which is a technique using sunlight and bitumen to harden and engrave asphalt onto a metal plate, therefore creating a permanent image. The term heliography comes from the Greek words helios (sun) and graphein (writing).

Unsatisfied with the exposure time and quality of the permanent photograph, Niépce reached out to Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, a French painter and physicist, in 1829, who perfected heliography and reduced the exposure time to about 20-30 minutes. He also succeeded at creating a better quality image with a chemical process using a copper plate coated with silver iodide. This led to the first successful technique of photography, known as the daguerreotype.

Significance

Without Niépce’s trials and development of heliography, photography would’ve never developed into daguerreotype, which in turn would not produce successful photography. It’s important to acknowledge the origins of things we may take for granted nowadays in order to fully appreciate them and better them. We’ve come a very long way thanks to these inventions and continue to be evolving the power of photography. Who knows, at this point, photography could end up reflecting 3D/virtual images in the future!

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/technology/photography

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nicephore-Niepce

https://www.britannica.com/technology/camera-obscura-photography

https://www.nfi.edu/when-was-photography-invented/

https://www.nga.gov/press/exh/2866/camera-obscura.html

https://www.britannica.com/technology/daguerreotype

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Daguerre

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Daguerre

https://news.smugmug.com/when-was-photography-invented-a-brief-timeline-of-photographic-history-f883c79c405f

https://www.artpublikamag.com/post/sunwriting-brief-history-of-heliography-and-the-making-of-the-worlds-oldest-surviving-photograph

What are illuminated manuscripts?

Illuminated manuscripts are hand-made illustrated pages decorated with gold or silver leaf and commonly made on vellum pages made from animal skin, such as calf, sheep, or goat skin.

These illustrations were first created in the 6th century in Western Europe and were practiced until about 1600 CE. They happen to be the best surviving items from the Middle Ages due to the exceptional quality of vellum. 

These decorative illustrations were used in books for religious teachings, especially popular with Christianity. Illustrated manuscripts were also wanted by wealthy patrons for their personal collections and prayers.

Illustrated manuscripts were also used in Islamic religious teachings, including the Qur’an. 

The most common illuminated manuscripts from 600-1600 CE were made by Persian, French, and Italian painters such as Behzad, Jean Pucelle, and Liberale da Verona. An example of their works are shown below:

Are illuminated manuscripts still used or made to this day?

Due to the introduction of the printing around the 14th and 15th century, the demand for illuminated manuscripts began to die out. Most illuminated manuscripts used for religious teachings that we can see now are preserved ones from the Middle Ages and are very popular with collectors. However, that doesn’t mean anyone can’t make any more right now! They may not be used for churches and personal worship, but may be seen as personal artwork inspired from the religious culture of the Middle Ages.

Extra sources:

https://www.nga.gov/conservation/paper/manuscript-project.html

https://www.parkwestgallery.com/what-are-illuminated-manuscripts-and-how-were-they-created/

https://www.worldhistory.org/Illuminated_Manuscripts/

https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-coronation-of-the-virgin-master-of-jacques-of-luxembourg/sgEjGIktKqR1gQ?hl=en

https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/have-you-seen-an-illuminated-manuscript-lately/

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/456964

https://hobblecreek.us/blog/entry/illuminated-manuscripts

What are hieroglyphs?

Hieroglyphs – literal meaning “sacred carvings” – were used as a writing system in Ancient Egypt and are a combination of pictograms, ideograms, and phonograms, otherwise known as Rebus. An example of a modern-day Rebus is shown below:

When did hieroglyphs begin?

The first Egyptian hieroglyphs are recorded to appear with the beginning the first Egyptian dynasty, which was created by King Menes. However, there are artifacts of early Egyptian writing before hieroglyphs were fully developed, as seen below.

Hieroglyphs were initially displayed on jars and plaques, then eventually developed to being used on temple walls and monuments. Additionally, they were very difficult to write with, hence how walls were a more common canvas. Hieroglyphs lasted for a long time, in fact, for almost 3500 years!

The hieroglyph above is displayed on an obelisk in Luxor, Egypt, and as you can see, there is an oval frame surrounding the images. These frames are called cartouches, which usually surround the royal names of ancient pharaohs and places, and began to be used starting in the Fourth Dynasty (2575-2465 BCE).

How did hieroglyphs pave the way for the world’s first alphabets?

As trade began to bloom, hieroglyphs evolved into the world’s first alphabets after spreading to the Mediterranean coast by traders. One form of writing hieroglyphs evolved to is Coptic around the 2nd or 3rd century, with some influence from Greece.

Why have I chosen to talk about Hieroglyphs?

The reason why I chose this topic is because hieroglyphics have always been incredibly intriguing to me, just as much as the history of Ancient Egypt itself! Hieroglyphs hold mystery and beauty to them and the symbols are incredibly creative and detailed. The development and use of them display the evolution of writing systems as a whole and how it inspired other future writing systems to be created. 

Extra sources:

https://ezproxy.capilanou.ca/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/fofae/cartouche/0?institutionId=6884

https://www.britannica.com/topic/hieroglyphic-writing

https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcw02e.html