The story of Instagram is nothing short of epic. With only a dozen employees, the humble photography app gained millions of users in a few short years before it was acquired by Facebook for an unbelievable $1 billion. What the social networking giant saw in Instagram is undeniable: that our desire to share daily beauty is insatiable. However, long before Instagram enabled amateur photographers to apply dream-like filters to snapshots, society found its own ways capture the world in pleasantly rendered miniature.
An article in Garden Design documents the 18th-century fascination with the Claude glass, a pocket-sized, metal compact that contained a convex, tinted mirror. When artists and travelers happened upon breathtaking scenery, they peeked through a Claude glass, which acted as a filter by softening and distorting the view. “A world viewed through a Claude glass was a journey through ephemeral snapshots of softly-rendered nostalgia,” writes Anna Laurent. “A blackened mirror reduced the tonal values of its reflected landscape, and a slightly convex shape pushed more scenery into a single focal point, reducing a larger vista into a tidy snapshot.”
British travelers were charmed by the device, using it to ingrain an unforgettable vista into their memory. Today, Instagram provides a similar service, producing instantly memorable photos for users around the world. In some way it’s comforting to know that our modern day fascinations are simply reaffirmations of centuries-old behavior. An iPhone may be radically different from a small looking glass, but our desire to capture, examine and share a beautiful view transcends any format, even if it requires a pricey data plan.
3 Featured Comments
Michelle Woods from PaperFolkGlasgow said 8 years ago Featured
Thanks for the article. I hadn't ever heard of the Claude glass before! It is pretty amazing that centuries ago people were still wanting to frame or create a composition out of nature even when such a thing as a camera didn't exist.
Kristina Smiley from CreativeEndeavorsKS said 8 years ago Featured
Excellent article. I find it amazing that no matter how advanced our technology gets, we can still rely on old methods such as looking through a Claude glass to find the beauty that surrounds us. Thank you for the insight!
Rebecca from havelovewilltravel said 8 years ago Featured
Lovely article, but (with all due respect) just a hint of disconnect. I have nothing against an application like Instagram, in fact, I love that any form of photography still captivates us and encourages us to make a record of our day-to-day cultural activities. One major difference between the Claude glass and a photograph (digital or otherwise) is that the mirror reveals a moment that’s fleeting—it’s simply a mirror. A photograph, on the other hand, can “capture” for all time. Its beauty is in its permanence. Whether a fancy filter is used or not.
82 comments
Savannah from BrooklynUnicorn said 8 years ago
Beautiful!
VaLon Frandsen from thevicagirl said 8 years ago
Instagrams do make the world a better looking place. Photography is amazing and able to turn anything around you into a beautiful work of art.
Zane Saracene from Zalavintage said 8 years ago
This is the second time I've found out what some object is that I've found with old family items. Always interesting post and so true how we desire to view beauty whether reflected through the lens of nature or modern technology. Happy viewing!
Hillary De Moineaux from VoleedeMoineaux said 8 years ago
That is amazing!
accentonvintage from accentonvintage said 8 years ago
Great article! Wonderful to know about old items!
TheIDConnection from TheIDconnection said 8 years ago
Lovely!
Megan from MegansMenagerie said 8 years ago
Wow! Beautiful!!
Amy from needleandfelt said 8 years ago
Thank you for sharing - pretty amazing!
Phil Jackson from NuptialNotion said 8 years ago
Wonderful. And very interesting.
Jess from volkerwandering said 8 years ago
Great article, I learned something!
Vera and Victor Vague from VeraVague said 8 years ago
very very neat!
Kirsti Joy from KaiceJoy said 8 years ago
Wonderfully written article! Thanks! Learn something new every day!
Christie Hall from Tidepools said 8 years ago
Thank you for sharing. Very interesting tidbit of knowledge.
Lawrence Lo from LawrenceSupplies said 8 years ago
they are really successful!
Stephanie from Phylogeny said 8 years ago
What an intriguing article! Perhaps I'm the only one, but I hadn't heard of a Claude glass before now. How ingenious of generations passed! I'm amazed. I'm heading off to go look at that article now. Thanks for the info! :)
ZenBrush from ZenBrush said 8 years ago
What is old is new again.
Michelle Woods from PaperFolkGlasgow said 8 years ago Featured
Thanks for the article. I hadn't ever heard of the Claude glass before! It is pretty amazing that centuries ago people were still wanting to frame or create a composition out of nature even when such a thing as a camera didn't exist.
Bonnie Ellis from bluebonnieellis said 8 years ago
Wonderful article. The related items are breathtaking examples as such.
LivingVintage from LivingVintage said 8 years ago
Interesting. What's old is new again.
OuterKnits from OuterKnits said 8 years ago
Cool!
Kristina Smiley from CreativeEndeavorsKS said 8 years ago Featured
Excellent article. I find it amazing that no matter how advanced our technology gets, we can still rely on old methods such as looking through a Claude glass to find the beauty that surrounds us. Thank you for the insight!
julie macneil from iowajewel said 8 years ago
love, love, love it! only wish i could get the program for my computer as i do not have an iphone.
Margherita from Arthings said 8 years ago
I love Instagram, I'm like a great photographer withouth being :P
Julie Meyer from JulieMeyer said 8 years ago
Wish I had an iPhone so I could Instagram everything!
Milly from SecondSpringSoaps said 8 years ago
Great article! I am addicted to Instagram... I need therapy! :oD
mazedasastoat from mazedasastoat said 8 years ago
I like to see the world as it is, & appreciate the beauty, so I tend not to like "doctored" photos. Does that mean I have something lacking, or simply that I'm more easily pleased? Just wondering...
Lisa from TheVinton said 8 years ago
"our desire to share daily beauty is insatiable..." yes it is, and what a beautiful reminder. thank you!
Colleen O'Neal from truthbeautyandlove27 said 8 years ago
spectacular article!
Beliz from ThreadEtc said 8 years ago
Great article
ArabellaReason from ArabellaReason said 8 years ago
Thank you for the insightful article! Capturing beauty is a favorite way to spend time. I was happy to learn about the Claude lens. I am off to read the article you mentioned. I love the app on my iPhone and it is nice to see the blending of past with present!
Leyla from LeylasPaintings said 8 years ago
Beautiful article!
Nicole Neufeld from halfcat said 8 years ago
"Today, Instagram provides a similar service, producing instantly memorable photos for users around the world." Actually, I'd argue it does the opposite - trivializing shots by ingraining them to a feed surrounded by a million similar photos following an imposed fad. Don't get me wrong, I love Instagram, but 'instantly memorable'? Instantly forgettable, more like it.
Kia from aoisart said 8 years ago
So interesting!
sandstormcreations from sandstormcreations said 8 years ago
That's beautiful
Levi Emerson from gypsumrose said 8 years ago
amazing! wish i could've lived back then to try it :) love the instagram team we have on etsy
Meaghan from ExLibrisJournals said 8 years ago
The story of Instagram is just so cool... I wish I had an iphone so that I could instagram everything!
Rebecca from havelovewilltravel said 8 years ago Featured
Lovely article, but (with all due respect) just a hint of disconnect. I have nothing against an application like Instagram, in fact, I love that any form of photography still captivates us and encourages us to make a record of our day-to-day cultural activities. One major difference between the Claude glass and a photograph (digital or otherwise) is that the mirror reveals a moment that’s fleeting—it’s simply a mirror. A photograph, on the other hand, can “capture” for all time. Its beauty is in its permanence. Whether a fancy filter is used or not.
Walter Helena Photography from walterhelena said 8 years ago
Interesting. True creatives just have to work that much harder to find an original way of seeing and showing their worlds to the viewers.
Kathleen from myvintagecrush said 8 years ago
Instagram has taken over!! :)
Heather from ReleafPaper said 8 years ago
Instagram makes me ridiculously happy. I was so happy to see a blog post about it. Awesome.
Unique Fabric Gifts from uniquefabricgifts said 8 years ago
Intersting article! Thank you for sharing!
EphemeraAndMore from EphemeraAndMore said 8 years ago
As interesting and educational as always. Thank you, Chappell!
iammie from iammie said 8 years ago
Interesting!
baconsquarefarm from baconsquarefarm said 8 years ago
Thank you for sharing the story behind instagram had no idea, but Iike the look.
Leah from LeahFW said 8 years ago
Fascinating article! Thank you!
Dotty Walker from SewThoughtfulBlanket said 8 years ago
Love the article!
Michaela Bowles from ArtsyFlair said 8 years ago
Interesting! :)
Matilde Cánepa González from matildecanepaArtnow said 8 years ago
beautiful, to trap and create the world we find many images
Nikki from slatevintager said 8 years ago
insightful article!
Erika from ErikaPrice said 8 years ago
Great article and lovely photos! I'm almost wishing I hadn't recently swapped my iPhone for a Blackberry, LOL!!!!!
Lana Manis from HoneysuckleLane said 8 years ago
Interesting! I'm behind on technology and wasn't sure what an instagram was and didn't know you needed an iPhone for sharing an instagram. Thanks for sharing the information about the Claude glass, too!
ArleenDesign from ArleenDesign said 8 years ago
Doesn't know this until just now! Very interesting!
Holly from CamelsAndCustard said 8 years ago
Wow!! What a great article!
Natalia from KMalinkaVintage said 8 years ago
Very interesting!
Jessica from LovelyFever said 8 years ago
So fascinating! Thanks for sharing a little known historical device and relating it to the photo technology of today!
Zoui from XZOUIX said 8 years ago
i ♥lu♥ photography and instagram has somethin' special :)
Nicole Pape from NicolePape said 8 years ago
Very nice article but I miss the good old days of real, honest creativity.
Christin Lersch from SpinningGeneration said 8 years ago
Thank you for opening the door to this article "gem". So happy I stumbled upon it- will certainly research the Claude glass more. I'm instantly fascinated with it. i like the concept of what it meant of life that specific era. the power of a beautiful envisionment
kristin from blackmoonsky said 8 years ago
so interesting about the Claude glass. Thanks for sharing!
Nikol Wikman from NikolWikmanArt said 8 years ago
Interesting, thanks!
Zoe from StonetreeJewelry said 8 years ago
This was a fascinating read. Though our technology for doing so has, it appears our fascination with capturing the beauty in front of us has not. Also, I love many of instagram photos I've seen...they are, like Chappell said, dabbed with a bit of nostalgia. Again, very interesting and thanks for posting.
明石 said 8 years ago
i like this Instagram,it very interesting
Tom's Grossmami from tomsgrossmami said 8 years ago
Lovely!
June from isewcute said 8 years ago
Love the snippet of history on the Claude glass... wish I had one to peer out at the world with! Great article!
Liudmila Rosario Ponko from PonkoWorld said 8 years ago
Great story!
Catherine Whitworth from CatkinsDesigns said 8 years ago
great to read! i wish i had one too!
Trina from Gallery32Photography said 8 years ago
So interesting. I am going to have to look into the Claude glass a bit more. Thanks for sharing :)
Nazima Banka from nazimabanka said 8 years ago
I can't stop being swept into a magical place, mesmerising!
Amber from BambuEarth said 8 years ago
I want a Claude Glass! ♥♥♥♥
Jo and David from buenobookshop said 8 years ago
great examples of some wonderful work!
BanglewoodSupplies from BanglewoodSupplies said 8 years ago
What a success story! I love it!
FreakyPeas from FreakyPeas said 8 years ago
My teenage daughter and her friends are obsessed with instagram. They call it the poor mans facebook. But, the pictures they take and share a pretty amazing.
Gabrielle Knight from RuffleNBustle said 8 years ago
I enjoyed reading this article, quite interesting.That Goa-Blue Sunrise is breathtaking.
Windy City Novelties said 8 years ago
Those pictures are beautiful! I love when I see Instagram photos of the worlds beauty instead of people.
Mark Sheraton from ColdCode said 8 years ago
Really interesting history. Love the photos too. Thanks!
Victoria Baker from LittleWrenPottery said 8 years ago
I love the capturing of everyday memories, after all isnt that what makes our lives so interesting and breaking away from the mundane at being able to capture those fleeting moments of everyday beauty.
rikki colacurcio from BmadeNEW said 8 years ago
With all due respect to the featured comments by havelovewilltravel, photos aren't really so permanent...there's fading, fires, theft etc. but worst of all, there's the blinding disconnect of seeing a photo without even seeing it, which comes to happen for many reasons... ....i bet at least one person back in the day tried to make a claude glass into a pair of spectacles so they would never have to stop seeing the glory of this world. The only real permanence to being a witness to beauty is sincere, unending devotion period.
Andrea Hughes from PopLoveHers said 8 years ago
This is absolutely wonderful. I know there are many who sneer at the popularity of instagram and its instant artistry made available to the masses - but when you stop to think about it, the more tools there are to make the world a beautiful place, the better off we really are. I really would like to have one of those Claude glasses for myself though!
Jessa Cady from Spiderbunny said 8 years ago
I also did not know about Claude glass! Great article ^ . ^
Shilene Johnson from shilene said 8 years ago
Very interesting article Thanks for sharing
Danielle Loustalot from SomethingFromTheSun said 8 years ago
So amazing, how I wish I could own a Claude glass now! Your article puts a lot of perspective for me into why I love Instagram so much! You're right, its history is nothing short of epic and fascinating.
Rachel Lucie Johns from rachellucie said 8 years ago
great article - I am SUCH an instagram addict. I waited so so impatiently for the android version, and it was totally worth it. Now I can finally point and shot and take the kinds of photos I thought they ought to look like when I imagined them! Would love to see a Claude glass!