6 of the Oldest Selfies
In 2023, Paris Hilton made the bold claim of having conceived of the selfie. In posts on Instagram and X, she shared photos from 2006 of her posing alongside Britney Spears, claiming, “17 years ago, I invented the selfie.” While it’s unclear whether she was joking or not, what we do know for certain is that the selfie was not invented by Paris Hilton in 2006. In fact, there’s a strong case to be made that the first selfie was taken almost 150 years before Hilton was even born. And the word “selfie” itself was in known use by 2002, and likely even before that.
Here, we take a look at some of the earliest photographs that could be considered selfies, from old daguerreotype self-portraits to Kodak snaps from the turn of the 20th century.
Robert Cornelius
In 1839, Robert Cornelius stood in front of a makeshift camera in the yard of his family’s gas lighting business in Philadelphia. He took a photo, then stood motionless for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the daguerreotype process sufficient exposure time. The resulting self-portrait — taken using a camera with an opera glass for a lens — shows a ruggedly handsome man with a fashionably upturned collar. It was a great technical achievement, coming just a little more than a decade after French inventor Nicéphore Niépce took “View From the Window at Le Gras,” the world’s oldest surviving photograph. Cornelius’ photo is generally considered the earliest surviving photographic portrait in the world — and, therefore, the first-ever selfie.
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Unidentified Edwardian Woman
One of the most potent weapons in the arsenal of the modern photo-poser is the mirror selfie. But using a mirror to take a photo of yourself is nothing new; it’s been done for well over a century. One of the most famous early selfies was taken by an unnamed Edwardian woman using a Kodak Brownie, a type of box camera first released in 1900. The photo shows the woman standing with her camera in front of a tall mirror. The mystery surrounding her identity only adds to the photo’s appeal. We are left to wonder who she is, and whether it was her who took the photos we can see on shelves to the right of the mirror.
Harold Cazneaux
Harold Cazneaux was a pioneer of photography in Australia, capturing diverse subjects in a huge collection of images spanning the first half of the 20th century. His photos include sweeping landscapes, urban scenes, and intimate portraits, as well as self-portraits. Cazneaux could be considered something of an early adopter when it comes to selfies; his earliest self-portrait was taken in 1904 at the age of 26, and many more followed, including the selfie above, taken in 1937. These weren’t the off-the-cuff selfies we’re accustomed to today — Cazneaux’s compositions were always well considered. “The photographer,” he once wrote, “must be in accordance with all nature’s moods; he must feel the very spirit of the scene if he is to be successful.”
Joseph Byron
If you’re reading this thinking, “Well, these examples aren’t really selfies,” then consider Joseph Byron. Byron specialized in photographing Broadway shows and other stage productions, while also documenting life in New York City. In 1909, he took some self-portraits while standing on the roof of a building on Fifth Avenue — images that very much conform to the modern notion of a selfie, with the camera held in outstretched arms. He also took a group selfie in a similar manner, featuring a handful of his dapper colleagues sporting a fine selection of old-school hats and mustaches.
Grand Duchess Anastasia
Anastasia was the grand duchess of Russia and the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II — the last emperor of Russia. In 1914, when she was 13, she took a handful of self-portraits using a Kodak Brownie box camera and a mirror. The photos, taken in her bedroom at Alexander Palace, were among the first-ever selfies taken by royalty, and could also represent the first teen selfies. Sadly, the images are indelibly tinged with tragedy. Anastasia was killed with other members of her family during the October Revolution of 1917, just a few years after she took the photos.
