The world “Selfie” may be new to some people even though it has made its’ way to Oxford English Dictionaries, but the action of taking a photo by yourself is not exactly a thing invented by the young generation. Apparently, this goes back over 170 years to 1839 as evidence suggests that this dashing young man in the photograph was the first person to take a photo of himself, using his own camera.
While digging up the Congress archives, the Public Domain Review has found this rare picture of the chemist/ photographer Robert Cornelius, taken in 1839 in the back of the family store in Philadelphia. He’s titled this photo ”The first light Picture ever taken. 1839.” According to the report he had to run to the frame after removing the lens cap to take the photo while posing stylishly and then run back again to cover the lens again. Good thing he’s not here to see how kids take selfies these days with their smartphones.
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[Via: CNET / Photo Credit: Library of Congress]
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