The Oldest Recorded Photograph
This picture may not display much, but it’s known to be the world’s oldest picture and was shot by Joseph Nicephore Niépce outside one of the windows in his estate located at Saint-Loup-de-Varennes in France. The picture was taken in 1826.
The Oldest Recorded Photograph
Louis Daguerre
Niépce developed the heliographic technique that generated poor-quality photographs that were costly to produce. More effective photography techniques were developed when Niépce teamed up with Daguerre in the 1830s. These techniques used mercury fumes and iodide plates and were named ‘Daguerreotype.’
Louis Daguerre
An Early Image
This photo was taken in 1837 and displays a variety of plaster casts. It is one of the earliest known images taken by Louis Daguerre while using his producing technique called Daguerreotype, which was kept as a secret until 1839.
An Early Image
A View of Louis Daguerre’s Home
This image was taken in 1838 and depicted a view that was taken by Louis Daguerre from his house. The early Daguerreotypes produced better-quality images. However, this process included a long exposure time and made it challenging to capture moving objects or people.
A View Of Louis Daguerre’s Home
The Oldest Picture of a Living Person
This picture was taken of the Boulevard du Temple that’s situated in Paris. The image was taken in 1838 by Daguerre, and if you look closing in the bottom left corner, you’re going to see a man that’s polishing the shoe of another figure.
The Oldest Picture Of A Living Person
The Oldest Recorded Selfie
People have only begun taking selfies in recent years. However, it seems that there was an American photographer that was ahead of the trend and took the first selfie in October of 1839. His name was Robert Cornelius, and the picture was taken as a self-portrait.
The Oldest Recorded Selfie
Why Weren’t There Many Early Photos Taken of People?
Many people may wonder why there weren’t many photographs taken of people when cameras were first invented. The primary reason is that daguerreotypes featured a long exposure time. This made it difficult to take pictures of people as they would have to stay still for long periods.
Why Weren’t There Many Early Photos Taken Of People
The First Image of the Moon
This image was shot by an English historian and scientist by the name of William Draper. The photographer was shot in 1840 and is known as one of the earliest attempts conducted to capture the image of the moon. These attempts were later improved with better technology.
The First Image Of The Moon
The First Picture of a Seated President
The earliest daguerreotype image of a seated U.S president depicts William Henry Harrison. The president died on the 4thof April, 1841. His death came after being in office for only 30 days. The reason for his death was a possible case of pneumonia.
The First Picture Of A Seated President
The Oldest Surviving Picture of a U.S President
This image captures John Quincy Adams, who was in office and served as the president of the US between 1825 and 1829. The picture was taken in March of 1843 by Philip Haas in his studio located in Washington, DC.
The Oldest Surviving Picture Of A U.S President
The Earliest Picture Known of Lincoln
This image depicts Abraham Lincoln early after he had been elected from the state of Illinois to the US Congress. It was taken between 1846 and 1847 when the Congressman-elect was 37-years-old. The image is attributed to Nicholas H. Shepherd in the Library of Congress.
The Earliest Picture Known Of Lincoln
The Oldest Digital Picture
The majority of pictures taken today are digital. However, this wasn’t always the case. For this reason, capturing digital images was once incredibly special, and the first and oldest digital image is even more incredible to view. This digital picture was taken in 1957.
The Oldest Digital Picture
The First Color Picture
The oldest color image was captured in 1862 and is credited to James Clark Maxwell. However, the shutter button included in the camera was pressed by a man named Thomas Sutton. James was a Scottish scientist, and Thomas was an inventor responsible for the creation of the SLR.
The First Color Picture
The First Aerial Photograph
We have seen an incredible increase in aerial photographers thanks to drones. However, taking such pictures was a lot more challenging and was seen as almost impossible within the mid to late 1800s. This was taken in a hot air balloon by James Wallace Black in 1860.
The First Aerial Photograph
The First News Paragraph
The first new paragraph picture was taken in 1847. The man featured in the image, along with the photographer, are both unknown. This particular image was the reason for there being a change in the way news was delivered to the public.
The First News Paragraph
The First Presidential Portrait
The president that was the first to be captured in a presidential portrait was John Quincy Adams and was taken in 1843. Each President of the US obtains an official portrait. However, all the presidents between George Washington to James Monroe have never come across an opportunity to be photographed.
The First Presidential Portrait
The First Hoax Photograph
You need to understand the rules of rivalries before you can understand why such a picture was produced. These rivalries were between Louis Daguerre and Hippolyte Bayard. Bayard took the feud to another level when he sent this ‘fake’ picture to Daguerre of him trying to commit suicide.
The First Hoax Photograph
The First Picture Captured in the US
This image was taken by Joseph Saxton in 1839 and featured the Center High School, Philadelphia, located in Pennsylvania. Saxton was an inventor and took up amateur photography as a hobby. The photograph captured the school on Juniper and Walnut streets.
The First Picture Captured In The US
The Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was fought in September 1862 and located in Maryland. The battle produced terrible casualties on both ends of the U.S Civil War. The image depicts dead Confederate soldiers on the battlefield, and pictures like this were used to inform people far away about what was occurring.
The Battle Of Antietam
The Fall of Fort Sumter
New photography techniques were introduced by the Civil War that meant daguerreotypes had become redundant. This stereoscopic photograph was created by Alma A. Pelot that shows two photos taken from slightly different angles that give a 3D effect when the two images are viewed together.
The Fall Of Fort Sumter
France’s Uprising
This image depicts quickly-made barricades situated around the Rue Saint-Maur that’s located in Paris. The image was taken on the 25thof June, 1848, during what was later called the June Days uprising. The uprising was a workers’ rebellion against the French government, who was trying to curtail a public works project.
France’s Uprising
The Oldest Image of Human Conflict
This image depicts an American general named John E. Wool, along with his staff traveling through Saltillo, Mexico. It was taken after his troops captured the city in the American-Mexican war. This war continued between 1846 and 1848, but the image was captured in early 1847.
The Oldest Image Of Human Conflict
The First Image of a Solar Eclipse
This is the first recorded solar eclipse ever captured. Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski took the image in Prussia at the Royal Observatory in Königsburg. It was captured on July 28, 1851. The daguerreotype was used to capture this image, as other methods had trouble capturing the solar eclipse.
The First Image Of A Solar Eclipse
The Great Chartist Meeting
This image shows the large ‘Chartist’ meeting that was held in London. The photograph was captured on the 10thof April, 1848. The Chartism movement was found in Britain and was formed to promote parliamentary reform that would give ordinary workers the right to vote.
The Great Chartist Meeting
The First Image of the Temple of Zeus
This image was shot in 1842 and is the first photographic image of the Temple of Zeus. It was taken in Athens, Greece. These ancient ruins were a popular subject matter for many young photographers that aspired to use new technology to capture the world’s past.
The First Image Of The Temple Of Zeus
The Oldest Image of Anesthesia
This picture used the daguerreotype method to capture this team of doctors giving anesthesia to a man by the name of Edward Gilbert Abbott. The procedure was done in Boston, and the photograph was reportedly taken in 1847. The substance was administered through ether.
The Oldest Image Of Anesthesia
An Image of the Earliest Born Woman
This portrait of a woman named Hannah Stilley went missing and was later printed in a 1936-book made by Alva Gorby with the title ‘The Gorby Family, History, and Genealogy.’ She was photographed in 1840 and was born in 1746.
An Image Of The Earliest Born Woman
The Oldest Image of People Drinking
This image was taken in 1844 and was the first image of people drinking together. The figure on the right went by the name Octavius Hill, while the other figures were named Dr. George Bell and James Ballantine. It seems that their drink of choice was beer.
The Oldest Image Of People Drinking
The First Image of the Sun
The technology of daguerreotype photography was in full glory on April 2nd, 1845, when the first image of the sun was taken. The image was captured by Leon Foucault and Louis Fizeau, who were both French physicists, and it is one of the oldest recorded.
The First Image Of The Sun
The First Photograph Capturing an Amputation
This image was captured on April 18th, 1847, and shows Sargent Antonio Bustos getting his leg amputated. The amputation was performed by Pedro Vander Linden, who was a Belgian surgeon and was reportedly done during the Mexican-American War while on the battlefield.
The First Photograph Capturing An Amputation
The First Image of Alamo
This daguerreotype was taken in 1849 and claimed to be the oldest photograph available of the Alamo chapel. This is a rare image that captures the Alamo façade. The image is also internationally recognized as an image with tremendous amounts of historical importance.
The First Image Of Alamo
The First Image of an English Football Team
This was one of the first images of an English football team ever to be captured. The photograph was later discovered 132 years after it was first captured. In the image, you can see football players such as B.G Jarrett, F. Heron, E.H. Bambridge, and H. Heron, along with many others.
The First Image Of An English Football Team
The First Image of the USS Constitution Sailing
This is the oldest known photograph of the USS Constitution ship while being under sail. It was reportedly taken in 1881, and the original image can be found in the USS Constitution Museum Collection. The ship is seen as one of the most beautiful.
The First Image Of The USS Constitution Sailing
The First Image of a Tornado
This image was taken at Garnett in April of 1884. It captured a tornado, and because of this, it is seen as the oldest image of a tornado ever taken. However, the image is said to have been altered from its original form.
The First Image Of A Tornado
When the Japanese Viewed the Sphinx
This image has captured the Ikeda Nagaoki Japanese Mission and the members of that mission as they made their way through Europe and stopped in Egypt to view the Sphinx. The photograph was captured in 1864 and is also seen as an excellent early shot of the Great Sphinx of Giza.
When The Japanese Viewed The Sphinx
The First Image of a Passport
The US is credited for being the first known country in the world to use photographs on passports. The inclusion of photographs was made essential back in 1914. This set a standard that was followed by the UK first, and then ultimately all other nations.
The First Image Of A Passport
The Daguerreotype Camera
This wasn’t the first camera to come into existence, but it was one that produced images of far better quality. The inventor of this camera was a French artist named Louis Daguerre. It was first used in 1839 and was a stepping stone to other cameras.
The Daguerreotype Camera
The Reise Camera
Cameras were highly desirable back in the day. However, one thing that came between this desire was that these cameras were incredibly bulky, unattractive, and heavy. Nonetheless, the Reise camera was introduced and combated all of these features.
The Reise Camera
The Leica I
The Leica I was the first compact camera that was equipped with an incredible f/3.5 lens had held the ability to shoot on 35mm films. This was the first of its kind and was the inspiration behind many other, widely known 35mm film cameras.
The Leica I
Polaroid Model 95
Eventually, cameras grew so popular that a camera became an object that everyone had in their household. The process of producing these pictures was time-consuming and tedious. That’s when the polaroid camera came out and provided instant shots to the photographer.
Polaroid Model 95
