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DAY 178 | PHOTOGRAPHIC CURIOSITIES |
Pigeon Photographers
YES, THE FLYING KIND
The depicted photographer was, unfortunately, not available for an interview, as he has been deceased for quite some time.
And he is a bird.
For years, pigeons had been used to carry messages and mail; the German pharmacist Julius Neubronner is credited with having been the first person to draw a connection between the bird and photography. Other inventors followed him in developing various versions of a camera that could be securely strapped to a trained pigeon. The cameras were equipped with a timer mechanism that would automatically take pictures at regular intervals. (Evidently, nobody trusted the birds’ judgment in deciding when and what to photograph.)
As with many technological developments throughout history, a potential military application provided a significant impetus for advances in research. The use of bird cameras was to be explored by civilian and military researchers throughout World Wars I and II in Germany, France, and Switzerland, in what some might consider a predecessor to the unmanned spy planes of the 21st century.
Animal rights advocates will doubtless be glad that modern technology has evolved more sophisticated methods of surveillance that do not risk the lives of innocent animals, providing us with a marginally more humane way of conducting international warfare and espionage. —DJS
Pigeon camera Oberländer. © Swiss Camera Museum.