Although photography has become commonplace today, primarily used to showcase everyday life on social media, over 100 years ago, it represented a stunning technological advancement that captivated the world.
Below are some of the earliest photographs recorded in human history. While they may appear quite rudimentary, at the time, they marked a groundbreaking civilizational revolution in human history.
This is a scene captured from the upstairs window of Joseph Nicéphore Niépce’s apartment in France, 1826. Niépce used a process called “heliography” to document what was happening around him each day. This is considered the first photograph in human history.
Robert Cornelius, an American photographer, is seen taking a self-portrait (left image). Although it appears somewhat blurry, Robert is considered the first person to take a selfie. He captured this image in 1839 in Philadelphia, marking the beginning of this trend. The right image shows one of his clients.
This is the first photograph of the moon taken by John W. Draper in 1840.
The first photographs taken from above the ground are impressive, but what about from space? Scientists attached a 35mm motion camera to a rocket launched in October 1946. This is an image of Earth from 65 miles in space.
This first photograph is particularly interesting because of its long exposure time. It took 7 minutes to capture this image of Paris, so only a few people stood still long enough to appear in the photograph. Can you spot them?
This is the first photojournalistic image, showing a man being arrested in France in 1847.
The first aerial photograph was taken in 1860 by James Wallace Black from a hot air balloon.
This photograph from 1877 is the first color photograph ever taken of a landscape, showing what photographer Louis Arthur Ducos du Hauron saw from his home in France.
The first color photograph was taken in 1861 by physicist James Clerk Maxwell; it is actually a photograph of a tricolor ribbon.
The first photograph of lightning is indeed impressive. Before William Jennings captured this moment in 1882, scientists had no idea what lightning looked like while it was stationary.
The most fascinating aspect of photography is how it captures important moments, which is exactly why the photograph of NASA’s first launch at Cape Canaveral became legendary. Taken in July 1950, you can see other photographers lining up to get the perfect shot.
Say “hello” to the world’s first digital photograph! This lovely image was captured in 1957, nearly 20 years before Kodak invented the first digital camera. The photo features the son of engineer Russell Kirsch.
