This may be the oldest surviving photo of a human.

from CNN

At first glance, it doesn't seem that remarkable: An old black-and-white scene of a strangely deserted city, smudged in places by some primitive photographic process.

But this image, taken in Paris, France, in 1838, is believed to be the earliest known photograph featuring a person.

Look in the photo's lower left corner and you'll see a man getting his boots cleaned on the sidewalk. The boot-cleaner is there too, although he is harder to spot.

It was taken by Louis Daguerre, the French photographer famous for pioneering the daguerreotype, an early type of photo produced on a silver plate or a silver-covered copper plate.

According to Retronaut's Amanda Uren, the exposure time for the image was around seven minutes. The street appears deserted because while the two human figures were relatively still, other pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages were moving too fast to register on the plate.

The photo shows the Boulevard du Temple, a then-fashionable area of shops, cafés and theaters.

The two people on the sidewalk are the most recognizable human figures in the photo, although Uren points out that a detailed examination reveals other possible people on a bench and in a window of the building in the foreground.

If this is true its a haunting beautiful beginning to human history on film.

a reply to: DjembeJedi

Wow.... so simple, yet so deep.

I wonder if there are older photos in existence? of human beings, that is.... just waiting to be found!

This got me looking for the oldest pictures of different things. I found this article that supposedly has the first photographs of different things. It's a funny thing when looking so far back into the past.

20 of the First Photographs of Things, from People to Hoaxes to the Moon

Hannah Stilley Gorby is supposedly the earliest person born - 1746 - to be photographed.



There are even photographs of the veterans from the American Revolution, such as these:

Well a thread like this on this site must include the probable first UFO picture!!

140 of UFO Sightings -The Telegraph

and for kicks

Oddee Dot Coms- 8 Very Early UFO Photos Taken Before Photoshop

Have fun!

a reply to: DjembeJedi

With all these firsts I wonder what the first sports photograph was? The first pornography photograph? And the first photo of a bird in flight? (maybe it was a photo of all three at once!)

Yeh its funny, asks youths today `when do you think the first photography is from`
theyll be like `ermm 1930?`
like honestly they have no clue that photos have been taken regularly for (not that far off) 200 years now!

a reply to: DjembeJedi
beautiful photograph and the explanation of other life there but not exposed, thanks

Updated to this Thread..Here is the first portrait of a person and its a "SELFIE"!

Generally accepted as the earliest surviving photographic portrait image of a human ever produced is the approximately quarter plate daguerreotype by Robert Cornelius [1809–93], a head-and-shoulders [self-]portrait, facing front, with arms crossed, dating from 1839 [Oct. or Nov.]. [LC-USZC4-5001 DLC]. Written on the paper backing is "The first light picture ever taken. 1839." The photograph, now at the Library of Congress in Washington DC, was taken outside his place of business on 8th Street between Market and Chestnut, in Philadelphia.

The first photo and first portrait of a woman

This image of Dorothy Catherine Draper (1807–1901) is a copy of the earliest surviving photograph of a woman. John William Draper (1811–82), professor of chemistry at the University of New York, built his own camera and made this portrait of his sister in early 1840 (notwithstanding the inscription), after a 65-second exposure. The image is from the Westchester Archives.

Earliest-born person to be photographed

The earliest-born person to be photographed was probably John Adams, who was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on 22 January 1745, the son of Captain Thomas Adams and Lydia Chadwick. A shoemaker, he died on 26 February 1849, in Harford, Pennsylvania, aged 104, having made himself a new pair of shoes in his final year. A photographic copy of a daguerreotype (the whereabouts of the original being unknown) is in the possession of the Susquehanna County Historical Society. This image is from Taylor (2013).

and last BUT not least the Earliest-born woman to be photographed

There is as yet no certainty as to the earliest-born woman to be photographed, but a popular contender at present appears to be Hannah Stilley Gorby (born about 1746, died 1840–1850). The original daguerreotype has been missing for some years, but this copy was printed in Alva Gorby's 1936 book The Gorby Family, History and Genealogy. NB most public member trees on Ancestry give her year of death as 1840, which would mean the individual in the photograph is almost certainly not Hannah Stilley Gorby. Alva Gorby's book merely says it is "not known" where she died or was buried; although the portrait is indeed reproduced, it is not referred to in the text as a daguerreotype (though it certainly looks photographic).

source SOURCE LINK

The first digital photograph of a person circa 1957 by Russell Kirsch. It was actually a scanned photograph and the low resolution was due to the limits of the computers storage capacity. The first digital camera came along in 1975.
Source

a reply to: CraftBuilder

His son I think it's amazing despite the quality.

First photographs are like time capsules imo. And thanks to the net they can be viewed by anyone. S + F

1st Color Landscape 1877

This photograph was taken by Louis Arthur Ducos du Hauron who invented the subtractive (cyan, magenta, and yellow) color method of taking photographs. This photograph is called “Landscape of Southern France”.



1st Human Subject 1840

Unlike the OP's photo, this is the first photo that intentionally has a human as its main subject. The year this photograph was taken was the year that New Zealand became a British colony, that Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, and the year that the world’s first postage stamp was created. The photograph was taken by William Henry Fox Talbot, the inventor of the negative / positive photographic process.



1st Motion Picture 1888

This film is the first celluloid film created and it gives us a true look at how people looked and, more importantly, carried themselves (in the case of the women in full corseted gowns). The film only lasts for two seconds but it is enough time to see the characters walking. It was recorded at 12 frames per second by French inventor Louis Le Prince. It was filmed at the home of Joseph and Sarah Whitley, in Roundhay, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England on October 14 and the people who appear are Adophe Le Prince (Louis’s son), Sarah Whitley, Joseph Whitley, and Harriet Hartley. Ten days after filming, Sarah Whitley (Le Prince’s mother-in-law) died. Two years later Le Prince vanished mysteriously from a train traveling between Dijon and Paris. Another two years later, Alphonse was found shot dead in New York after testifying at a patent trial against Edison by the American Mutoscope Company.

originally posted by: Aleister
a reply to: DjembeJedi

With all these firsts I wonder what the first sports photograph was? The first pornography photograph? And the first photo of a bird in flight? (maybe it was a photo of all three at once!)

It was hard to find any info on the oldest sports photo but I did find this:

England Football Team 1876

The team picture from 1876 features ten footballers and one referee. The eleventh player missed the photocall. The photograph was taken of the team that was to play Scotland on April 4, 1876. It was to be England’s fifth international match ever.

It's actually a very nice photograph. It's very sharp, it's got good details, and the range of light to dark is superb. The grain's good too. And it lasted a long, long time.

a reply to: jtrenthacker

Thanks, good find! I realize that the first sports photo, at least of sports in action, would have to be after the long-exposure era of photography, more of an instant action photo if it was to capture sports in action (that is unless it's a picture of baseball players standing around on the field). Someone could actually publish a book with the first baseball picture, first soccer/football picture, first picture of a golf tournament, tennis match, etc. etc. Sports is a universal language.

a reply to: DjembeJedi

I wonder what that is in the street in the OP photograph, about 30 feet or so up the street from the guy getting his shoe shined. It must have been standing still for awhile. Does anyone recognize it? If it's in the street it was probably capable of transportation, although I don't see a horse around it. Thanks.

Another thought. Someone could do an historical gigapan of this and other old city photos!

a reply to: DjembeJedi

whoops, double post. Since I have this block of space to write in, how about the first photo of a dancer, or of a snowfall, a boat, etc. etc. "Firsts" are sure a topic full of human endeavor.

a reply to: jtrenthacker

Very nice find Thank you!

a reply to: Bedlam

I agree with you! This is a great photograph!