First Ever Photograph of a Human Being

PetaPixel ^

[Brucifer]

Up on the grassy knoll, it’s George H Bush!

[Nateman]

Looks like a dog caught in the act of jumping.

[Inyo-Mono]

I have a photo of my great grandfather from 1863 in his Union Army uniform. It is on a glass substrate with copper frame to cover the sharp edges.

Lucky you! I had one too of one of my great-gradfathers in his Confederate uniform (36th Virginia) but lost it a number of years ago in a move. I still have a photograph of his grandfather (born in Virginia in 1792) taken around 1855 or so.

[Erasmus]

A dog about to catch a frisbee.

Or, a ship too late to save a drowning witch.

[BlessedBeGod]

Maybe of interest?

[Erasmus]

I believe that Daugerrotypes are on a polished sheet of silver (”tintypes” are on polished metal too).

You have to look at them with the light source, and your eye, at an angle to the surface, in order to see the positive image. From many angles, it looks negative.

You can see strange color effects on the surface of many inkjet prints today. It’s called metamerism.

[PhiloBedo]

If you look to the right of the shoe shine guy, by the third row of saplings, there is a guy sitting in a chair.

[SatinDoll]

Your posts are becoming stranger and stranger!

[Defiant]

Is that Ted Danson in the lower left?

[Defiant]

No, he was in a Blackbird SR-71, silly.

[Brucifer]

Damn, I forgot all about that. LOL!

[ADemocratNoMore]

Looks like a most interesting site. Thanks for sharing.

[x_plus_one]

The most interesting thing in the picture from 1838 is the number of chimneys on each house and in total. The windows are open so it is not winter time. Coal and wood were the fuels for heating and they produce large amounts of smoke. The density of chimney stacks must have produced thick smokey smog save for warmer months. This is the time period of Charles Dickens who would have lived less than 200 miles to the north in London.. The picture looks Dickensian.

[stylecouncilor]

He has a little Captain in him!

[The Comedian]

If I ever make a reference that you don't understand, just Yahoo one or two of the keywords.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[The Comedian]

If you look to the right of the shoe shine guy, by the third row of saplings, there is a guy sitting in a chair.

Does it look like this?

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[AFreeBird]

Could be the same trees today. Or at least some of them.

[Brilliant]

Exactly.

It is a fascinating photo, though. Seen it before.

[dfwgator]

[Lancey Howard]

I think you need to add a couple of “greats” to that, unless you are 100 years old or so. My great great grandfather (my dad’s great grandfather) was 12 years old when his father took him to downtown Philadelphia to see Lincoln’s funeral train pass through. I’m late 50s.