Camera Obscura
An offbeat angle on the ocean viewed through an antiquated lensLeave your driver's license at the office of the senior center in Santa Monica and in return you will receive a key to the camera obscura at the top of the stairs.
Inside a small room, you will find a large white disk in the center, and a wheel that allows you to steer the lens and mirror contained in the turret above, projecting an image onto the disk of whoever and whatever happens to be passing by outside.
Camera Obscura's are believed to be among the earliest optical inventions, the theory behind them known at least since Greek times. Academics believe camera obscura devices may have been used by renaissance painters such as Da Vinci to project images onto canvases to help them paint. In Victorian and Edwardian times they became a popular seaside attraction.
Such was the case with the Santa Monica Camera Obscura. After being gifted to the city in 1907, the camera spent almost 50 years documenting life on the Santa Monica beach. In 1955 the mechanism was installed in the nearby Senior Recreation Center. Many images of the popular beach community throughout the years are on display to compare to the current view.
A quick walk from the pier, the Camera Obscura that was once such a common beachside attraction is now a little known treat for those interested in photography, 19th century mechanics, or spying on oblivious beach-goers.
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Category: Inspired Inventions, Optical Oddities
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Edited by: Rachel, Dylan