Early European Photographs, 1890-1905 (3-CD Set)
	Welcome to early 20th-century Europe. Lose yourself in some of the most captivating images of European people and countryside in this fascinating 3-CD set. It surprises most people to learn that photography had its beginnings not in the 18th century AD, but 4th century B.C.! It also surprises many to learn that the credit for making the first scientific observations that eventually led to the production of the first photographic image, as we know it, goes to the philosopher Aristotle.

It was Aristotle who observed in the 4th century B.C. that light entering a minute hole in the wall of a darkened room casts on the opposite wall an inverted image of whatever lies outside the hole. Medieval scientists were quick to pounce on this discovery and use it to observe solar eclipses. The dark room or camera obscura, as it came to be called, finds mention in Leonardo da Vinci’s writings. Artists used this devise to obtain a correct linear perspective to their paintings. In the 16th century, a lens was substituted for the minute hole, thus making the image brighter. Magicians too used the camera obscura, to create illusions.

Ironically, photography should have been born much earlier - at least a century before it was eventually accepted by the scientific world as an authentic tool which could be used in capturing images. In addition to the century-old camera obscura there were adequate lenses in existence by the middle of the eighteenth century, and Johann Heinrich Schulze had demonstrated the action of light on salts of silver in 1727. The world, however, had to wait until 1839 before all the pieces fell together correctly to produce the first photographic images.

This historic 3-CD set captures scintillating images of European cities, countryside and people as they were in between 1890 and 1905.

Sample thumbnails taken from the collection. Click on image to view larger picture.

One of the factors that have made early paintings more popular than early photographs is the comparative size of the two. While the already sizeable paintings were made even more noticeable by ornate frames, photographs were less conspicuous and hence less appreciated.

This 3-CD set contains hundreds of stunning photographs depicting life in Europe at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. The thematic arrangement of the images allows you to browse through the CDs with relative ease and convenience. At the mere click of the mouse, you can browse through over 4000+ eye-catching images, which include 137 images of bridges, 1507 buildings, 277 castles, 140 images of people, 125 cityscapes, 700 coastal views, 1011 scenic images and 120 waterfalls.

EDITORIAL REVIEW:

Photography has provided us with an unmatched tool to record and preserve events and objects which otherwise may have faded into oblivion. It is now possible to recall through photographs even the minutest detail - be it delightful, horrifying or absorbing. While the early black and white images carry a certain indefinable nostalgic component, the later colored images bring the event or object to life, stunning us with hues and tones that we are likely to miss out in real life.

This fascinating set of CDs is a brilliant flashback on life in Europe at the turn of the 20th century and brings into focus the unhurried, pollution-free world, which was not without its share of thrilling places and peoples.

Each image is a work of art and tells a story all its own, forever capturing a moment in history and preserving it for posterity. I think any historian or lover of art who misses out on examining these historic CDs will be that much poorer for it.

CUSTOMER'S REVIEWS:

"You don’t have to be a professional photographer to recognize the brilliance of men who produced the stunning images you find on these CDs. I got a great peek at early European life, but that is just the bonus. I was floored by the beauty of the images and have decided to take up photography seriously now."

Customer's Name: Eddie Parker (New Ark, New Jersey)