Derived from the Latin phrase meaning "dark chamber," the camera obscura is considered an ancient ancestor of the photographic camera (Encyclopedia Britannica Online, "Camera Obscura"). It consists of various small, darkened rooms that each have a single tiny hole that allowed sunlight to enter. The sunlight projects a reversed image of the outside scenery on the opposite wall of the room. This wall was often painted white so that the temporary image could be seen. This method of transferring images was very limited in its uses, but it became a popular way of looking at eclipses without damaging the eyes. .
It is unknown exactly who invented the camera obscura and when. However, evidence of its use has been dated back to ancient times. The earliest known written evidence of a camera can be found in Aristotle's documentation of a device in his 350 B.C. publication titled "Problemata" (Patti, 1993) Like the camera obscura, Aristotle's apparatus contained a dark chamber that had a single small hole to allow for sunlight to enter. With this device, he made observations of the sun. He noted that no matter what shape the hole was, it would still display the sun correctly as a round object. Another observation that he made was that when the distance between the aperture (the tiny hole) and the surface with the image increased, the image would become amplified. Although no one is perfectly sure, many attribute the invention of the camera obscura to Aristotle.
During the 16th century, changes were made to the camera obscura. A biconvex lens (a lens that is rounded like the side of a sphere on both sides) and a focusing tube were added to improve the quality of the image reflected by the camera. These additions resulted in images that were brighter and sharper, making the camera obscura a popular tool in drawing. The subjects would stand outside the 'camera room' and the artists would trace the images reflected onto a piece of paper posted on the wall by the camera.
