The World Made Permanent, On Pewter

This is it. This is the earliest surviving "permanent" photograph. Seems funny to think that there was a first photograph, but there was and this is it, or as close to it as we'll ever see. This is a actually just a representation of it. The original pewter plate is faint, and very difficult to view, you have to be in just the right light and look at just the right angle.

This was taken by Nicéphore Niépce in France around 1826. It is an image looking out the window of his upstairs lab. The image is chemically etched on pewter, and the primitive emulsions he used required an EIGHT HOUR exposure. As a result you can see the sun shining on both sides of the buildings.

It's amazing to think of how far the technical capability of photography has come in the last 180 years. Just imagine what it will be like in another 180.