© de luan

Early photography changed our view of the world. It provided more access to more images from more places and times in the world than ever before. Photography has given ordinary people the ability to open a window to look at more recent eras of history. This allows us to better empathize with those who came before us, but it also created the principles of today’s media landscape.

The history of photography is closely linked to that of painting. The idea was conceived by painters as early as the 15th century, to improve practice for the painting profession. In the 18th century, pioneers in photography were also educated as painters whereafter they shifted their focus to photography under the name ‘painter photographer’ (peintre photographe). Thanks to their artist’s eye, they formed the basis for photographing landscapes, portraits and still lifes. Vintage photography preserves long forgotten moments and it recorded voices, feelings, of people for eternity.