World’s oldest camera obscura still works

By Elizabeth Hunter

Amazing photos show the world's oldest functioning camera obscura, dating back to the 1830s.

Located in the Dumfries Museum's observatory in Scotland, the camera obscura has been functioning since 1836, after townspeople banded together to purchase an abandoned windmill high on Corbelly Hill.

The camera obscura, which is Latin for "dark chamber," shows a 360° panorama of the surrounding landscape, projected onto a focusing table for viewers.

In 1835, after a proposal began to demolish the mill, a local man purchased the property for $350.

Around 100 residents then bought $5 shares of the windmill, and began consulting architects to find someone to turn the mill into a functional observatory - and the suggestion was quickly made to add the camera obscura to the top floor.

Museum curator Judith Hewitt said: "There were two main proposals they liked the look of - one by a local architect called Walter Newell, and that was the one that was eventually taken up.

"He did it in an Egyptian revival style, so it's a nice, big, chunky building with chunky windows and doors - sort of like the Valley of the Kings.

"The other option that was put forward suggested that not only should they have a telescope floor and an astronomical floor and an observatory, but that on the very top of the tower, they should put in a camera obscura.

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"The astronomical society liked that idea, so they did purchase a camera obscura and have it installed.

"It was installed and designed by Thomas Morton of Kilmarnock, who also designed and installed the telescope that's still on display here.

"The camera obscura was functioning from the opening of the tower as an observatory, which was in 1836, and it's been functioning ever since.

"It's got some of the original pieces still in it, which makes it the oldest functioning camera obscura in the world.

"The main parts are still the functioning pieces from the 19th century."

Staff at the museum, which welcomes thousands of visitors per year, attempt to put on camera obscura presentations daily when weather allows.

"The only thing that stops us is bad weather - we don't do camera obscura presentations when it's raining, as the mechanism could get damaged," said Judith.

"Every day, we try and have it open when we can.

"People's reactions are absolutely fantastic - they can't believe it!

"And people in the 1800s used to call it the 'Wizard Watchtower of Dumfries,' because they couldn't understand what they were seeing."