This is the story of the first selfie

The selfie has become a universal phenomenon, but do you know its origin? Explanations.

Who has never taken a selfie? Almost no one. The numbers speak for themselves: every day, there are 92 million selfies.

Taking a selfie and sharing it on social networks has become a craze since the arrival of smartphones in our lives. The term “selfie” first appeared in 2002 on an Australian forum. Eleven years later, he is voted “word of the year” by Oxford Dictionaries.

Paris Hilton, queen of the selfie

For this alone, Paris Hilton must admit that she was wrong. She claims to have invented the selfie in 2006 with Britney Spears.

A little history

The first selfie is actually much older. Robert Cornelius, an American, made it in 1839. At the time, he was 30 years old and he took a selfie in the backyard of his family’s lamp store in Philadelphia. In the photo, we see a man with disheveled hair, staring at the camera, looking a little skeptical. At the time, it was difficult to smile during the exposure time, which could last several minutes, because you had to stay perfectly still.

Cornelius probably took this photo in October. This is surprisingly early, considering that photography was not really invented until the late summer of 1839. The first light-resistant photograph dates from 1826 – thanks to French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. His process, called “heliography,” used asphalt as a photosensitive substance and required an exposure time of several hours. However, he did not manage to develop the method during his lifetime.

The quesaco daguerreotype?

It was only with the daguerreotype, developed by Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre, that the exposure time was considerably reduced, making it possible to obtain more contrasted images. This technique was based on the use of silvered copper plates, made sensitive to light thanks to iodine vapors. The presentation of this new technique arrived in the United States at the end of August, beginning of September. Daguerre’s English publication An Historical Account and a Descriptive Account of the Various Processes of the Daguerreotype and the Diorama generated enormous interest and inspired many Americans to become interested in photochemical processes.

Daguerreotype: view of Daguerre’s apartment, taken in 1839.Image: royalty free

Among them was Cornelius, the son of a Dutch immigrant, who worked in his father’s store and who was particularly interested in chemical processes, such as silvering and metal polishing. With this knowledge, he was contacted by inventor Joseph Saxton, also based in Philadelphia, who asked him to make a silver plate for a daguerreotype. In late September 1839, Saxton took one of the first photographs of North America: a view of Central High School in Philadelphia.

The photo of Central High School in Philadelphia is probably the first taken in the United States.Image: domaine public

Master Saxton

Saxton in turn inspired Cornelius, who then began to study the daguerreotype. The backyard selfie is one of the results of his work. Confident, but not entirely accurate, Cornelius noted on the back of his photo:

This is not fair, as we have just seen. But it should still be the first portrait in history, which allowed its creator to enter the Guinness Book of Records.

Robert Cornelius during a chemical experiment in 1843. A glass rod supports his right arm, which he would otherwise not have been able to hold still for the duration of the exposure.Image: royalty free

Real selfie

What makes Cornelius’ self-portrait different from today’s selfies is thathe wasn’t holding the camera in his hands. In any case, it would not have been possible because of the very long exposure time and the bulky device.

Self-portrait of Byron: this time the photographer has the camera in his hands – with the lens pointed towards him.Image: domaine public

You will have to wait 1909 to see the first real selfie according to this criterion. English photographer Joseph Byron put himself in front of the lens, much like millions of people do with their smartphones.

(Translated from German by Valentine Zenker)