A picture, also called an image, is a representation of the external form of a thing in art. In biology, it is a representation of the internal structure of a cell or organelle in microscopy. Pictures are produced by various means, such as painting, drawing, photography, printmaking and other forms of graphic art.
The term “picture” comes from the Latin pictura and originally referred to paintings. The word “image” is derived from the Latin imago. Both words have been used in their respective arts for many centuries. In some cases their meanings have diverged: for example, when referring to photographs or other non-artistic uses, “picture” generally means only the two-dimensional visual representation itself while “image” may be used more broadly to include associated concepts such as reputation or imagination.
The history of pictures begins with prehistoric cave paintings and petroglyphs which were created by early humans using simple tools and materials like stone, bone, charcoal and ochre. These images were used for communication purposes (e.g., hunting magic) and/or religious rituals (e.g., fertility rites). By around 30 000 BCE, Neolithic cultures began producing pottery decorated with painted patterns; during this same period carved ivory figurines were being made in Europe and small sculptures known as Venus figurines became popular in Asia Minor. Between c. 5500-4500 BCE glass beads adorned with painted scenes started appearing in Egypt and Mesopotamia.
The first known photograph was taken in 1826 by Joseph Nicephore Niepce who managed to capture an image on pewter plate covered with bitumen. This invention was quickly followed by others including Daguerre’s daguerreotype (1839) which replaced bitumen with silver halide making the process much less expensive; William Henry Fox Talbot’s calotype (1841) which introduced paper negatives allowing for multiple copies to be made; Frederick Scott Archer’s wet collodion process (1851) which reduced exposure time making portrait photography more practical; And finally Eastman’s dry plate process (1878) which made mass production possible. Photography rapidly evolved thereafter with advances such as panchromatic film (1904), color film (1907), Kodachrome slides (1935), Polaroid instant cameras (1948), digital cameras(1975), phone cameras(2002). Today pictures are taken for myriad reasons including art, documentation, commercial advertising, news reporting, scientific research, forensic evidence, security, personal memories.