An 1838 photo shows an empty city street — and history’s first photographed human
'Only this guy stood still long enough — maybe to have his boots shined — to leave an image,' an excerpt from the blog read.
The history of photography comes from a rigorous process and many passionate inventors and artists. In 1838, after much improvisation, renowned photographer Louis Daguerre snapped a picture in Paris’ Boulevard du Temple, reported NPR. The picture beautifully captured the play of light and shadow on the buildings in the city street. Along with it, a gentleman was also photographed. Out of all the people present that day, this man is likely the very first human to be photographed. The picture was shared by u/Gabriel-Ivan on Reddit in a since-deleted post, and the comments reveal what a timelessly majestic visual it is.
Daguerre’s historical photographs were shared in a blog called The Hokumburg Goombah, according to NPR. It was mentioned that the picture was one of his earliest attempts, captured with a chemically treated plate. Because the process took 10 minutes, and one can imagine the setup and other processes taking even longer, people who were passing by eventually left. What remained was this gentleman, with one leg lifted up and in a slightly bent posture. “Only this guy stood still long enough — maybe to have his boots shined — to leave an image,” an excerpt from the blog read. The shoe shiner would have also been visible, but due to his movement, he appears blurred.
According to Artsper Magazine, this picture became an important one for another reason. Earlier, photography processes took hours to complete, but Daguerre partnered with Joseph Nicephore Niepce, a French engineer and inventor, to shorten the exposure time, according to Un Jour De Plus A Paris. Daguerre had been researching since 1820 to find a way to improve and add to the process of capturing images, and it wasn’t until around this time that something concrete worked out, according to The Met Museum. It was a mirror image, created from a “daguerreotype,” through which the first photographic process could be completed.
Around 1838 and 1839, the photographer had solid samples to show his process to other scientists and artists, and finally brought it to the public world. Unfortunately, in March 1839, his laboratory was burned with several pieces of equipment and much of his work. What remained were a few portraits, particularly of Parisian life. According to Harvard University, Daguerre’s photographic process became the first process that following inventors like William Henry Fox Talbot took inspiration from for decades to improve photography.
This kick-started future creations of the calotype, cyanotype, kaleidoscope, and others. It was thanks to the Daguerreotypes that a few decades later, photography was used in journalism, medicine, criminology, and other fields. In 1898, the first panoramic camera was introduced, after which the process of capturing took new heights. The picture shared on Reddit evoked wholesome responses from many. u/NewWave2208 wrote, “I've always loved this picture. It looks like a sketch from a fairytale book.” u/Kaylee-x added, “I'm surprised a camera company hasn't used the likeness of the shoe shine guy's silhouette for their logo.”
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