When was the first selfie taken

Taking pictures of yourself and sharing them with the world is a very popular trend today, but the practice actually goes back centuries, starting from the early 1800s. Let’s get to know the history of the selfie—or photographic self-portrait—and how it evolved into its current form, using smartphones instead of cameras. The First Selfies in History There's a lot of debate regarding who took the first selfie ever, but Robert Cornelius is in the Guinness World Records as the prime candidate. He used the daguerreotype technique in 1839 in his family’s lamp and chandelier shop to capture his own face. He then wrote on the back: The first light picture ever taken. 1839. The next famous selfie from an age before smartphones was Joseph Byron’s. In 1909, he stood on the roof of his company Marceau Studio and photographed himself with a box camera, potentially a Kodak. Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna used a Kodak Brownie in 1914 for her historic selfie. She also used a mirror, a popular way to take self-portraits even back then. 1920 saw Byron return to that same rooftop with his executives and two cameras, one to take the first group selfie in history, the other to capture how that photo came to be, namely with Byron and his friend Ben Falk holding up the bulky device from either side. The History of the Modern Selfie An Australian nicknamed Hopey coined the term selfie in 2002 when he posted a picture of his split lip on an ABC forum and explained that he’d tripped on a flight of stairs while intoxicated. The post continued: And sorry about the focus, it was a selfie. This was the first time the word was ever used, and it certainly made an impression. More and more people would take pictures

In 2013, the term “selfie” made headlines when Oxford Dictionaries named it the Word of the Year. This term was widely known in 2011 but many might not know that the first selfie traced back much further, all the way to the 19th century.In 1839, Robert Cornelius, a young chemist from Philadelphia, stepped outside his family’s store and took what is widely regarded as the first-ever self-portrait photograph in history.The making of selfieThe world’s first “selfie,” a self-portrait taken by Cornelius in 1839In 1839, Robert Cornelius, a 30-year-old man, found himself alone in the yard of his family’s gas lighting business in Philadelphia. It was late October or early November when he decided to capture a moment using a makeshift camera he had fashioned, which featured a lens made from an opera glass.Cornelius, dressed in a coat with an unusually high collar by today’s standards, had dark, tousled hair and piercing eyes that conveyed a sense of skepticism. He knew that he had to wait for the right light to expose the carefully prepared metal plate inside the camera.The challenge ahead was to remain perfectly still and gaze forward for 10 to 15 minutes—no small feat for anyone, especially in those early days of photography.This daguerreotype shows the view from the window of Cornelius’ second- floor studio at 8th and LodgeOn a seemingly ordinary day, Cornelius struck a pose in his yard. He looked strikingly handsome with his collar turned up and hair tousled, leading some to humorously claim he took the world’s first selfie. However, this moment marked much more than a playful snapshot.“Taking a portrait is astounding in 1839,” said Rachel Wetzel of the Library’s Conservation Division. “Taking a self-portrait is a whole next level up from that. That portrait is incredibly significant.”Cornelius’ daguerreotype is recognized as the earliest known photographic portrait still in existence today. The Library obtained this significant piece, along with other works by Cornelius, in 1996, as part of the Marian S. Carson collection.Who is keeping this photo?Robert Cornelius, author of the first selfie in history, 1839The Library’s collection of Cornelius materials has just received a significant boost. In December, Sarah Bodine, Cornelius’ great-great-granddaughter, generously donated a remarkable set of his photographs and related items.This collection features a daguerreotype of Cornelius himself and portraits of his children taken by other early photographers from Philadelphia. Additionally, it includes some of Cornelius’ experimental camera lenses and various documents tied to his business ventures and patent applications.“The collection gives a much broader picture of Robert Cornelius at the Library, beyond the photographs we currently hold,” said Micah Messenheimer of the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division.Wetzel’s deep knowledge of Cornelius played a crucial role in bringing the Bodine

On this day 51 years ago Buzz Aldrin made history by taking the first selfie in space. Before the term was even coined, Aldrin took advantage of the scenic background to snap himself. The image captures him floating in space, whilst Earth is seen in the background. Aldrin went to moon as part of NASA’s Project Gemini. The flight was named Gemini 12, and was the 26th spaceflight of all time. The Gemini 12’s mission was to prove that astronauts could successfully work outside of a spacecraft. This project paved the way for the Apollo projects, and for future astronauts to be allowed to land on the moon.Aldrin was the second man to land on the moon in 1969, just nineteen minutes after Neil Armstrong did.Selfie Facts The first ever selfie was taken in 1839 by Robert Cornelius, who was an amateur chemist and photography enthusiast. The first known use of the word selfie was in 2002.Oxford Dictionary declared selfie ‘Word of the Year’ in 2013!Know somebody that needs a positive news boost? Share this good news story on any of the social media networks below.