The Oldest Portrait Photographs - Part 1

Most of the oldest surviving portrait photographs, taken in the 1830s.
The first photograph of a human face was likely taken by Louis Daguerre, as he experimented with taking portraits as early as 1837.
On the 19th of August 1839 Louis Daguerre published the details of his photography process, called the daguerreotype. Shortly after, both Europeans and Americans began experimenting with portraiture. In America, the first photo studio would be opened by Wolcott & Johnson on March 4, 1840. In Europe, however, it would not be until 1841 that the first commercial photography studios opened. Unfortunately, little of these pre-1840 portraits are known to have survived.
Updated list of first portrait photographs:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Thanks to Mr. McManus for kindly allowing me to show all Draper/Morse photos. His essay about Draper's early portrait attempts & more can be read here:
www.historybroker.com/light/we...
Part 2: • The Oldest Portrait Ph...
Part 3: • The Oldest Portrait Ph...
Notes:
2:04 Henry Fitz's self-portrait was probably made in January 1840.
2:15 Identifications:
Back Row: Unknown, Count Séraincourt, Antonin Chotek, Karel Chotek, Emanuel Chotek.
Front Row: Unknown, Unknown, Count Séraincourt's wife, Maria Sophia Berchtold (Wife of Karel Chotek)
Sitting, Front: Bohuslav Chotek (father of Sophie of Hohenberg)
Sources:
Daguerre, M. Huet, c. 1837:
journals.openedition.org/etud...
Hippolyte Bayard, Self-portraits, c. Summer 1839:
histoirevisuelle.fr/cv/icones/...
J. W. Draper, Portrait, c. late Sept. 1839:
www.historybroker.com/light/we...
J. W. Draper, T. Frelinghuysen, c. Fall 1839:
www.historybroker.com/light/we...
S. F. B. Morse (?), Portrait of J. W. Draper, c. Fall 1839:
www.historybroker.com/light/we...
J. W. Draper, Possible Portrait of S. F. B. Morse, c. Fall 1839:
www.historybroker.com/light/we...
Morse Portrait Engravings:
babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?i...
M. A. Root, The Camera and the Pencil (1864), p. 347
Robert Cornelius, Self-portrait, Oct/Nov. 1839:
www.loc.gov/pictures/item/200...
Robert Cornelius: Portraits From the Dawn of Photography
www.daguerreotypearchive.org/t...
R. Cornelius, Family Group, c. Oct/Nov. 1839:
Robert Cornelius: Portraits From the Dawn of Photography
W. R. Johnson, E. O. Kendall, Oct/Nov. 1839:
librarycompany.org/catchingas...
Unknown, Count Chotek with Family & Friends, c. Nov 4. 1839:
www.scheufler.cz/cs-CZ/fotohis...
Draper, Group Portrait, c. Dec. 1839:
www.historybroker.com/light/we...
R. Cornelius, P. B. Goddard, c. Dec. 1839:
www.luminous-lint.com/app/imag...
R. Cornelius, P. B. Goddard, c. Dec., 1839:
American Journal of Photography, July 1893
Robert Cornelius: Portraits From the Dawn of Photography
Tags: 1838, boulevard du temple, Robert Cornelius, Louis Daguerre, daguerreotype, Henry Fitz, first photograph of a human, Draper, Frelinghuysen, 1839, Samuel Morse, historical photograph, history, worlds oldest photographs, first photo, first photo ever taken, first selfie, first portrait photo, oldest photograph of a human being, earliest surviving photo, oldest photo of a person

[@arago8649]

For an Updated List of the First Portrait Photographs see: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSPDmKN-prgZ00LFPwFH0Ht1RPpRH5eQrYNx_eibVkW6XPegybMgG5JQP_vIV3ZA-pj24HKe0STx56a/pubhtml

[@apexone5502]

Just think, if anyone was older than 39 years of age in those pics, they were born in the 1700s.

[@stupendous1068]

18th century.

[@giraffeman326]

@@stupendous1068 same thing

[@stupendous1068]

@@giraffeman326 1700s refers to the decade.

[@giraffeman326]

@@stupendous1068 you’re right, but when someone mentions something that happened in the 1700s most people will think of the entire century before the decade.

[@garge7676]

There are photographed veterans of the Revolutionary War, as well! There is also the possible photo of a man named John Owen, who was claimed to have been born in 1735 and died around 1843. His father was born in 1694. We possibly have a photo of a man who's father was born in the 17th century.

[@johnathanryan2117]

Beautiful. Getting on for 200 years since. Excellent.

[@DrTenochtitlan]

It is worth noting that the Samuel Morse shown in these photographs is indeed the famed inventor of both the telegraph and Morse Code.

[@TheStockwell]

Samuel Morse promoted and demonstrated the Daguerreotype process. He taught it to Mathew Brady.

[@TheStockwell]

No big deal, but Morse initially planned a code based on numerals. A number would be transmitted out and a codebook would be consulted to see what *word* the number meant. It was an investor in the development of a practical telegraph, Alfred Vail, who worked with Morse to create what become known as American Morse code. The jury's out on how much each men contributed to its creation.

[@flagflow1232]

0:47 Lee Pace is a vampire, confirmed.

[@jamesmoore9596]

Daguerre: For God's sake, man, comb your hair! Huet: But...my hair IS combed!

[@Lardenoy]

Ah ! Ah! Ah ! Peut-être la nostalgie des célèbres coiffeurs-friseurs, très fantaisistes, de la fin de l'Ancien Régime, dont le fameux Léonard, coiffeur de Marie-Antoinette, décédé vers 1820 je crois

[@The0Stroy]

Summer 1839 - the first selfie ever made.

[@alexejgorodnicenko7295]

1837- pushkin passed away this gloomy year.

[@sahranxiyer819]

who is that

[@alexejgorodnicenko7295]

@@sahranxiyer819 alexander sergeyevich pushkin- russian poet. creator of modern russian language. the most famous writer in russia. have died in shooting duel with french man. he was officer too. but you have google too. today you have easy life. in past it used to be hard surviving. true nightmare for plebs.

[@dguy0386]

2:09 nice to see "the sun is in my eyes" has been a problem since the invention of photography 2:20 kids not holding still has been a problem since the invention of photography too XD behold the first of many child shaped blurs, shame we don't have a clear one of her

[@RedcoatsReturn]

Incredible photographs from those early days…the pioneers of this science and art😲👏👏👏👏👏👏👏😊👍👍

[@arago8649]

Glad you liked it!

[@rohndstm854]

0:47 my god he’s beautiful

[@sahranxiyer819]

what are you talkin bout lol

[@Piratesjunior]

How long was the exposure of picture in 1:46 because in this time the process took at least 10 mins exposure times in end of 1839 because there is no improvement in the process yet. Did Cornelius use bromine and polish the plate too?

[@arago8649]

Probably a couple of minutes. Cornelius worked with Paul Beck Goddard, who discovered the use of bromine for daguerreotypes. According to "Robert Cornelius - portraits from the dawn of Photography", they made their first bromine accelerated daguerreotype in December 1839. Bromine reportedly cut exposure times "by half or even more."

[@Lardenoy]

Quand je regarde ces personnages je songe, en comparaison, aux contemporains français de cette époque (Monarchie de Juillet, règne de Louis-Philippe). En France est créé, en 1840 le Service des Monuments Historiques ( Prosper Mérimée, inspecteur) : la toute première liste des monuments protégés est de cette année-là. Le "roi citoyen", qui avait 20 ans en 1792 et participa à la bataille de Valmy a d'ailleurs été photogrphié dans sa vieillesse.

[@silver.night.]

2:22 im scared

[@jaymichaels5187]

1:07 that is not Samuel Morse.

[@happylittletrees5668]

Proof a little hair product makes all the difference.

[@jefffriedberg]

Not interesting

[@barrymoore4470]

You were engaged enough with the upload to comment here. And the subject is indeed very interesting for some of us.

[@jefffriedberg]

@@barrymoore4470 Ah! Oh…and go ________ yersef 😀

[@barrymoore4470]

@@jefffriedberg "Yersef"? Is that like "covfefe"? I advise you check your spelling before presuming to post your petty thoughts.

[@jefffriedberg]

@@barrymoore4470 I looked. It definitely sez that one really badly needs to go quickly and _______ yersef.