Patrick and Dr Francis Halsall of the National College of Art and Design take a look at the history of photography and its role in art and society.

What impact has the rise of photography had on the theory of art? How has this new art medium changed society? Does the camera ever tell the truth? And why are these five images important to the history of photography and the history of art? 

‘View from the Window at Le Gras’ by Nicéphore Niépce, 1826 or 1827

This is the earliest surviving photograph of a real-world scene, made using a camera obscura.

‘Migrant Mother’ by Dorothea Lange, February/March 1936

A portrait of Florence Owens Thompson with the caption, 'Destitute peapickers in California; a 32 year old mother of seven children. February 1936.'

Photograph: Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty Images (2003)

George Bush and a Thanksgiving turkey with US troops stationed in Baghdad. The turkey was subsequently reported to be a model and 'fake'.

‘A Bar at the Folies-Bergère’ by Édouard Manet, 1882 (oil on canvas, The Courtauld Gallery, London) 

‘Picture for Women’ by Jeff Wall, 1979