First Photographs in History

While the term photography was coined in the early 19th century, Greek mathematicians built pinhole cameras from the 4th century BCE. With such a long history, photography is full of news, from the oldest photograph in the world to the first photo uploaded on Instagram.

While most early photographs used the daguerreotype process invented by Louis Daguerre, technical inventions created endless possibilities for photographers. Let’s take a walk in memory to learn some of the famous old photos that have changed the way we view the world.

First Photograph Ever

The principal photography of the world – or if nothing else the most seasoned enduring photograph – was taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 or 1827. The photograph was taken utilizing a method called heliography and was taken from a window from the highest floor, of the Niépce home in Burgundy. Since heliography produces interesting pictures, there is no copy of the piece, which is currently part of permanent collection of the University of Texas at Austin.

The first self-portrait in the world

We can now get used to selfies, but it is the image of Robert Cornelius of 1839 that claims the first self-portrait. Cornelius, shot in Philadelphia, sat a little over a minute before covering the lens.

The oldest photo of New York

This 1848 daguerreotype located in the upper west of Manhattan is the oldest surviving photograph in New York. In 2009, it was sold by Sotheby’s for $ 62,500. Unfortunately, the first picture of New York, showing the Unitarian church, is now lost.

First picture of the moon

This daguerreotype of John W. Draper of 1840 is the first picture of the moon. The statue comes from its observatory on the roof of New York University and has since suffered significant damage.

First picture with people

Louis Daguerre – the inventor of the daguerreotype – broke what is not only the oldest photo of Paris in the world but also the first photo with people. The 10-minute exhibition was taken in 1839 in the Place de la Republique and it is hardly possible to see two fuzzy figures in the left corner.

First picture of war

Carol Popp of Szathmari is the first known war photographer and makes hundreds of images of the Crimean War. But it is this statue of 1870 that is supposed to be the first picture of a real battle. While he was showing a line of Prussian troops, the photographer took the picture while he was with the French defenders.

First picture of a president

John Quincy Adams stands out as the first president photographed from the United States, although he was not at the office at the time. Taken home in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1843, fourteen years after his resignation, the daguerreotype was shot by Philip Haas. The first picture of a sitting president was taken in 1841, but it has now been lost. He described President William Henry Harrison before he died of pneumonia 31 days after taking office.

The oldest photo of the sun

Only five years after the first lunar photo, in 1845, French physicists Louis Fizeau and Léon Foucault took the first picture of the sun. Even with only 1/60 of the exposure, it is possible to see sunspots.

The first picture on Instagram

On July 16, 2010, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom posted the first post on Instagram. It was even downloaded with an application called Codename, which, three months later, became the application we all know and love. Given the number of pets made famous in the app, the first picture on Instagram should show the cute Systrom puppy sitting in a taco stand in Mexico.