Leonardo Camera Obscura Kit

A man of outstanding artistic skill and technical ingenuity, Leonardo pioneered the use of this early photographic device to capture a projected image.

... by transmitting the images of the bodies and colours of the things illuminated by the sun through a small round hole in a dark place on a smooth surface which is itself white. But everything will be upside down. Leonardo da Vinci

The camera obscura (literally darkened room) is the ancestor of all cameras, and Leonardo gives us several very clear descriptions of this remarkable device. A large camera obscura consisted of a room, with the person viewing the image inside the room. A small camera obscura, like this one, consisted of a closed box, and the image would be projected onto a translucent screen. This sort of camera obscura was used as a scientific toy and an aid for drawing for many years. In the early 19th century, Henry Fox Talbot used an adapted camera obscura to take photographs: light sensitive material was substituted for the viewing screen.

This educational kit allows you to construct your own camera obscura. The body of the camera obscura is constructed from laser cut pieces of MDF, and is 7.5cm x 7.5 cm in cross section. The length varies as you slide the two pieces in or out.

This educational kit was developed by Middlesex University in partnership with the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was designed to accompany the exhibition: Leonardo da Vinci: Experience, Experiment and Design.

Everything you need is included. No additional items are needed.

The kit comes in a smart presentation pack, and would make an unusual educational gift.


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