500 BC

The Chinese writer and philosopher mentions the inverted

image that appears when light passes through a small hole.

400 BC

The same observation was commented upon by Aristotle.

900

Yu Chao-Lung uses model pagodas to show pinhole images

on a screen.

1000

Pinhole images are used to observe the eclipse of the sun.

1400

A pinhole perspective is used to understand the vanishing

point in painting.

1480

Leonardo da Vinci provides the first detailed description

of the pinhole formation.

1583

Observation of solar projections from a pinhole lead to

the correction of the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.

1558

Pinhole projections are used as an aid to drawing.

Camera Obscura

1870

Pinhole photography using dry plates.

1970

Young photographers start experimenting with pinhole photography.

1980

The art establishment becomes interested in pinhole images.

1990

Pinhole interest groups are started to exchange ideas.

2000

The world wide web leads to widen the interest in pinhole photography

Many art galleries are now having Pinhole Exhibitions.

2003

A yahoo search under "Pinhole Photography" produces 35,000 hits.