The medium has been one of the key languages of modernity and, since the digital revolution, has also established itself as the most used means of everyday private and public communication.

The book sets out the captivating adventure of world imagery from its origins to the present day in an accessible, exacting and narrative tone that will appeal to experts, amateurs and enthusiasts alike. Setting off from the pioneers and early protagonists, it traces the spread of the medium in every field — scientific, forensic and artistic — the development of the portrait, the coming of the early avant-gardes and the use of the camera as record, reportage and instrument.