Zero Baseline is a public research platform documenting verified first photographs from 1827 to today.
The Genetic Code of Photography
Reconnecting us to where photography began, so we can better understand where we are, and where we're going. Built to restore trust in visual media, strengthen visual literacy, and provide us with the foundations of the medium.
Browse the collection
Explore Chronologically
Navigate through 200 years of photographic firsts, from Niépce's 1827 first permanent photograph to today. Experience the evolution of the medium across time.
Explore by Theme
Discover connections across photography's history through curated influence themes. See how ideas, techniques, and innovations ripple through time.
Explore the Technology
Trace how photography evolved technically across 200 years. From Camera Obscura to Computational Photography, discover the breakthroughs that shaped the medium.
"The Zero Baseline is a rare convergence of art, science, and history. An approach I've never seen before."
SVEN EISENHUT-HUG — FOUNDER PHOTO BASEL
What Zero Baseline Does
VALIDATES
Establishes a genetic code of photography through evidence-based research, tracing back to verified scientific and artistic firsts, restoring visual trust through historical grounding.
PROVIDES
Creates open access to a structured, referential system that safeguards photography's cultural memory for public use and future learning.
EDUCATES
Designed to strengthen visual literacy through guided comparison, contextual framing, and perceptual practices, grounded in photography's origins and evolution.
CURATES
A dynamic archive of photographic firsts spanning 200 years (1827 to 2027), from Niépce to NASA, from the first X-ray to the first image of a black hole.
VOICES
From photography experts to educators, cultural leaders to technologists, the message is clear:
This is timely. This is needed. This is next.
"This belongs in every school, library, and academic or cultural institution."
URS STAHEL — CURATOR & AUTHOR, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, FONDAZIONE MAST, BOLOGNA
"The Zero Baseline unites art, science, and technology, offering a unique platform for interdisciplinary research and teaching."
PROF. MICHAEL RENNER — HEAD OF MA DIGITAL COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENTS, ACADEMY OF ART AND DESIGN FHNW
Preserving how we see and think, it doesn’t get more essential.”
AUREL HOSENNEN — Strategic Communication & AI
“This isn’t just photography, it’s a tool for teaching presence in a distracted world.”
DIEGO HANGARTNER — EDUCATION, CONSCIOUSNESS & WELLBEING
200 Years of Photography
200
Years Documented
40+
Verified First Photographs
2027
Bicentennial Anniversary
Featured Insights
Essay
200 Years of Photography
Photography turns 200 in 2027. Patricia von Ah on what two centuries of first photographs reveal, and why those origins have never mattered more.
Essay
The Crisis of Visual Trust
Photography spent nearly 200 years as one of the world's most trusted forms of visual evidence. Patricia von Ah reflects on the foundations of that trust and what verified origins may restore.
Essay
What AI Learned to See
Before AI could generate an image, photography had to define what seeing looks like. Patricia von Ah on inheritance, model collapse, and the value of knowing where an image begins.
“Photography, at its core, is an alchemy of art and science. Zero Baseline maps the moments that shape its evolution.”
PATRICIA VON AH - FOUNDER ZERO BASELINE OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Connecting the World to Where Photography Began
Zero Baseline maps the genetic code of photography through verified first photographs.
It is a cultural infrastructure, built for the Bicentennial and the long term.
We invite institutions, galleries, universities, and foundations to be part of it.
Where Zero Baseline has been, and where it’s heading
22 January 2026
Where Photography Meets Art & Science
Photoforum Pasquart, Biel/Bienne · Patricia von Ah and Dr. Gonzague Rebetez
12 May 2026
Au Joli Mois de Mai
La Voirie, Biel/Bienne
Zero Baseline public presentation.
16–21 June 2026
photo basel 2026
Zero Baseline presence at the intersection of photography, art, and culture.
September 2026 – 2027
Photography Bicentennial
An international celebration marks 200 years of photography. Zero Baseline as a reference resource for this moment.