Santa Monica Camera Obscura

Santa Monica Camera Obscura projects live images of the surrounding landscape onto a white screen using a rotating periscope and mirror system. The device sits inside a building at Ocean Avenue where visitors look through the mechanism to see the beach and surrounding area in real time.

Built in 1898 by Robert F. Jones, the device relocated through several locations before arriving at its current home in 1955. This journey across decades reflects how the mechanism has been maintained and adapted to different spaces.

The space now serves as an artist residence program where creators work seasonally, bringing contemporary artistic practice to this historic optical device.

The camera obscura sits on a bluff above the beach and is accessed via stairs from the promenade along Ocean Avenue. Morning or early afternoon visits often provide the clearest images on the white screen.

Originally built inside a private residence, the device remained largely hidden from the public for many years before becoming a space for artistic exploration. Few visitors realize this camera obscura spent decades as a private optical curiosity before opening to wider audiences.