Photography has come a long way since the first ever photo saw the light of day. We've gone from painstakingly exposing metal plates for hours at a time, to snapping high-definition selfies in the blink of an eye. Some might even argue that much of the true magic of photography has been lost in the digital era.
Long before social media, Instagram and iPhoneography, people risked chemicals, smoke, and other dangers in a bid to trap light and time on a surface. Their work opened the door to photography as both an art and a science. Miraculously, some of the first ever photographs taken hundreds of years ago have stood the test of time.
The world's first photographs weren't just images. Each one captures not only a subject, but also the spirit of human innovation. They tell the story of how people learned to "draw with light." They speak to trial and error, scientific curiosity and the sheer wonder that once surrounded this new art form.
Bored Panda has put together a list of the most incredible oldest surviving photographs for you to admire instead of mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. From the world's very first image ever taken, to the first photo captured under water, each provides a fragile portal to another time and place.
#41 The Mexican-American War, 1847
Taken during the Mexican-American War, this 1847 daguerreotype is one of the earliest photographs ever taken of an armed conflict. It captures a calm moment amidst the violence, showing American General John E. Wool and his staff making their formal entry into the city of Saltillo after its capture. The image serves as a powerful early example of photography's new role in documenting not just battles, but the significant political movements of war.
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#42 View From The Daguerres' House, 1938
Taken by Louis Daguerre himself in 1838, this view of a Paris street is famous for accidentally capturing the very first photograph of a human being. Because the daguerreotype process required an extremely long exposure time (likely over ten minutes) all the bustling traffic of the Boulevard du Temple became an invisible blur.
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#43 Daguerreotype Of An Oil Painting Depicting President William Henry Harrison, 1950
Although the original photograph has been lost to time, William Henry Harrison holds the distinction of being the first sitting U.S. president to have his picture taken. That daguerreotype was made shortly after his 1841 inauguration, just before his untimely passing a month later. The image that survives today is a copy made in 1850 and is a photograph of a painted portrait, serving as a historical placeholder for the missing original.
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