|
|
Article: Pictures of perfection.(photography)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- December 25, 1999
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
1839
FEW tiny acorns have grown into mightier oaks than the one planted in 1839 by Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre. Before that date, images could be created only by the human hand, based on what the human eye perceived. Daguerre's pictures, the first practical photographs, captured images of the world directly.
Few too would be the changes in everyday life more likely to disturb a visitor from the 11th century. It is easy to overlook the ubiquity of images in the modern world. But photography, its daughter cinematography, and its stepchild television, have wrought an alteration in the visual environment that is more profound than any other in history. A ...