The theory of light captured through a small aperture 'pinhole camera' or 'camera obscura' had been around for a very long time and Ibn al-Haythen (965-1039) an Iraqi scientist from Basra was credited with building the first one which he called "Al-bayt al-Muthlin' roughly translated as meaning 'dark room'.
This was based on an earlier description by Aristotle (384-322bc) and before him by the Chinese philospher Mo Ti (470-390bc)
The very first photograph ever 1826 - Joseph Nicéphore Niécpe (Nee Say)
This was the view from his studio window.
There was an eight hour exposure time,which you can see by the sunlight shining on both sides of the picture.
Start | Firsts | Daguerre | Daguerreotypes | Ambrotypes | Carte de Visites | Cabinet Cards | Later | More | 20th Century | Useful Links
