Early Photography

The early photography of Niépce, Daguerre, and Cameron posed questions about art, aesthetics, and technology we still try to answer today.

Julia Margaret Cameron, Mrs. Herbert Duckworth - detail — Cameron’s evocative portrait captures her young niece… before she became the mother of a literary giant.

Julia Margaret Cameron, Mrs. Herbert Duckworth

Lady Clementina Hawarden, Clementina and Florence Elizabeth Maude, 5 Princes Gardens - detail — This pioneering woman used the new medium of photography to add dramatic flair to her domestic life.

Lady Clementina Hawarden, Clementina and Florence Elizabeth ...

Louis Daguerre, Paris Boulevard, 1839, Daguerreotype — Daguerre’s groundbreaking technique turned Paris into a ghost town.

Louis Daguerre, Paris Boulevard

Eadweard Muybridge, The Horse in Motion ("Sallie Gardner," owned by Leland Stanford; running at a 1:40 gait over the Palo Alto track, 19th June 1878) — Photography emerged as a marvel of the modern world, but its early years were marked by technological obstacles.

Early Photography: Niépce, Talbot and Muybridge