The First Camera

Nicéphore Niépce's camera, first camera

Date: before 1826 (probably 1822)
Material: walnut
Question: Is the lens missing in this photo, or was there no lens fitted to this camera?
The front appears to have a recessed circle, which would indicate that a lens was present when Nicéphore Niépce captured the earliest photo on record.

Most likely the lens was salvaged to use on his second camera, since lens was probably more expensive than the wood to make another camera. That’s my guess. Somebody on APUG will probably research the correct answer. But an interesting observation.