This is an introduction to the V&A's photography collection- 100 of the most important photographs are reproduced, reflecting the evolution of the medium from 1839 to 1996. The V&A Photography Collection is one of the earliest in existence, dating back to the foundation of the Museum in the 1850s. The book tells the story of how the new medium of photography was embraced by a new kind of museum, which concerned itself with the arts of everyday life, and with a large popular audience. Henry Cole, founder of the V&A, began to collect the art of photography in 1856 and hosted an international exhibition of photographs 1858. He bought and exhibited the works of the pioneering Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron in 1865. Cameron's letters to Henry Cole are among the documents published in this book. The book is both a history of photography and a guide to appreciating fine photographs. It is also a history of photography's changing status as a collectable medium. The story continues through to the present, concluding with an ovreview of contemporary international photography.