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From grain to pixel: Explore photography's rare and early images on Google

The world’s oldest collection of photography is now just a click away.

Google's Art Project has partnered with the George Eastman House to display a selection of their remarkable images from the invention of photography through the 19th century. The gallery allows viewers to virtually visit a museum they may not otherwise have access to, but what truly sets apart the experience from any other online museum gallery is the ability to zoom in and see details of iconic photos. In a “real” museum you would be tackled by the security guard before you could get close enough to see the grain of the film.

Additional information is provided alongside the photos, including a map of where it was taken as well as the location of the artist’s birth and death. In one click you are able to see if the photographer’s journey kept him in his home town, or took him around the world.

George Eastman was the founder of the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York. His photographic collection and home were opened to the public in 1949.