5th Century BC Chinese Philosopher Mo-ti, mentioned the first obscura device. He “recorded t he inverted image formed by light rays passing through a pinhole in a dark room”. These dark rooms were “collecting place” or “locked treasure room”.

384-322 BC The philosopher Aristotle, was able to understand the optical principle of the camera obscura. He noticed the crescent shape in a partially eclipsed sun aimed on the ground through holes in a sieve, then saw gaps in the leaves of a regular tree.

1490 Leonardo Da Vinci, wrote two clear descriptions of Camera obscura in his notebooks. Many obscuras were in in large rooms. This was illustrated by Dutch scientist Reinerus Gemma Frisius, for use of a solar eclipse.

17th Century The word “Camera Obscura” was first used by German Astronomer Johannes Kepler. He used a portable tent to be able to view upper Austria.

18th and 19th century Jan Vermeer, Canaletto, Guardi and Paul Sandby, all used obscura. By the 19th century the camera obscura was ready to use with little or no modification for a sheet of light for sensitive material, in the 19th century lenses could cast larger and sharper images.

Camera Obscura Today Camera obscuras are becoming revived today. Older Camera obscuras are celebrated by historical and cultural treasures, and new camera obscuras are being made around the world.

Photo Credits http://darkchamber.edublogs.org/author/mstrudy/ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camera_Obscura_in_Use.JPG http://www.vintag.es/2012_11_01_archive.html http://museumvictoria.com.au/scidiscovery/image_pages/mn005936.asp?URL=/scidiscovery/light/pinhole.asp http://brightbytes.com/cosite/tradecards.html http://cinemathequefroncaise.com/Chapter1-1/Figure_01_10_Obscura.html http://catalogue.museogalileo.it/biography/ReinerusGemmaFrisius.html http://peoplelearn.homestead.com/PychLearn/What3.html http://sitwatchblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/unblinded-by-light-cosmos-season-1.html