Robert Cornelius – The First Self Photographer (1839)
This photo of Robert Cornelius bears significant powers as it was the first of what is so prevalent in our society today. Even though it was neither the first photo was taken (Window at Le Gras, 1826 received that award) nor the first to have human representation (the award given to Louis-Jacques Mande Daguerre’s Paris Boulevard), it was the first selfie to be taken in history. Cornelius was an amateur chemist who thought it would be interesting to take a photo of himself while in the back of his Philadelphia-based family store. Records detail Cornelius took the picture by removing the cap from the camera, running into a position where he could be captured, and then returning the cover. At the back of the photo, he wrote the words “The first light Picture ever taken, 1839.”
Robert Cornelius
Robert E. Lee and Son, William Henry Fitzhugh Lee (c. 1845)
Robert lived a contrary life when he became the Confederate military bandleader in the Civil War, but that didn’t dampen his character as a good man of honor and one that was highly respected. Lee noted he was not a secessionist but thought he had to step into Virginia’s defense after the state made the decision to leave the Union. Roy Blunt Jr., who did a biography of Lee, noted it was not really secession, but more of slavery, and that alone cast a lot of negative light on Lee’s honorable status. This daguerreotype of Lee was taken while he was with his second son, William Henry Fitzhugh “Rooney” Lee. The photo was taken sometime around 1845 by Micheal Miley. An interesting point to note, William eventually joined the Confederate cavalry and would later rise to the rank of general. Taking after his father, perhaps.
Robert E Lee And Son
