Watch the Rise of Photography in This Video of Every NY Times Front Page

You can literally see the rise of the photograph in this fascinating short video that compiles every single front page the New York Times has published from 1852 until the present day.

The one-minute video, created by data artist Josh Begley, takes us through a very broad swath of time and shows us how the world changed during those years. Except that, unlike a regular timelapse, you’re not looking at a weather pattern or a building being built; instead, you’re watching every single front page the NY Times has ever published scroll right before your eyes.

For us, two transitions immediately captivate the eye. The first is the rise of the photograph—from all text front pages, to a few photographs here and there, to a veritable explosion of imagery around the 31-second mark. The second is the emergence of color photography and printing, which happens suddenly at 48 seconds.

Its not a timelapse in the tradiitonal sense, but this is one of the most creative and effective ways we’ve ever seen someone illustrate the rise of photography in the world of news… whether or not that’s what Begley was in fact trying to do.

(via Laughing Squid)

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