The World’s Oldest Photograph

Taken in 1826 or 1827 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, the world’s oldest surviving photograph was captured using a technique Niépce invented called heliography, which produces one-of-a-kind images on metal plates treated with light-sensitive chemicals.

Not particularly impressive at first glance, Niépcein’s View from the Window at Le Gras is a grey-hued pewter plate with the blurred shadow-shapes of treelines and buildings―a digitally retouched copy makes the images easier to discern. Despite its unprepossessing appearance, this photograph was integral to the development of modern photography.