• be 1717

• discover chemical

• it reacts to light

• neat!

• not permanent tho

• be 1800

• spread chemical on paper

• put leaf on paper

• set in sun for several hours

• the shadow image is permanent

• neat!

• be 1826

• spread chemical on metal

• put in dark box

• poke small hole in box

• point box at thing for hours

• more chemicals

• it looks like the thing

• neat!

• be 1850s and later

• that metal thing works on paper too!

• better chemicals!

• fancy glass bits!

• works in seconds!

• neat!

silver and basically gunpowder.

Then poke a smol hole in a box and you are off to the races.

We had figured out camera obscura long before

Alchemy.

Or as it is called today, chemistry.