After photography was proclaimed a French invention in Paris in 1839, the new medium quickly conquered all of Europe. Although the race for technical improvements began in the cultural centers, the heavy cameras were soon carried into villages and the countryside, into remote valleys and into the mountains. In Switzerland, the emerging tourism played an important role in the new photography business. In addition to the interest in spectacular landscapes, early industrialization, large-scale technical projects and the growing need for portraits also contributed to the rise of the medium.