What follows is a selected timeline of imagery firsts both photographic and digital. Please suggest any images you feel should be added. Sources are cited as much as possible.
First “Photograph” | 1826
View from the Window at Gras
Joseph Nicéphore Niépce took this picture from his workroom in 1826. It represents the world’s earliest-known, permanent photograph from nature.
Source: The First Photograph
First Nude Photographs | 1839
Two Nudes Standing
In 1839, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre presented the first practical process of photography to the world. Most historians seem to think that portraits (or studies) done in the nude happened at the same time. Simply put, instead of painting nude models, men were photographing them.
The realism of a photograph as opposed to the idealism of a painting made many of these intrinsically erotic.” [source]
In the prevailing moral climate at the time of the invention of photography, the only officially sanctioned photography of the body was for the production of artist’s studies. [source]
While this may not be the very first photograph featuring nudity, its the earliest one I could find.
Source:The Metropolitan Museum of Art
First Underwater Photograph | 1856
The first underwater photograph is credited to William Thompson in 1856. Unfortunately, the photograph has been lost. Below is the first “published” underwater photo taken by Louis Boutan in 1890.
First Aerial Photograph | 1858
In 1858 Gaspar Felix Tournachon, a caricaturist (think cartoonist), climbed into a basket with his camera and took a photograph of over some houses found in the French village of Petit-Becetre, France. Gaspar Felix Tournachon (also known as Nadar) later formed “The Society for the Encouragement of Aerial Locomotion by Means of Heavier than Air Machines” where he was president and Jules Verne acted as secretary (its pretty much my favourite society ever).
The photographs that Nadar took did not withstand the tests of time and today the earliest photograph taken from the air we have was done by James Wallace Black in 1860 (shown below). It is taken over the city of Boston, USA.
First Colour Photograph | 1861
The first permanent color photograph, taken by James Clerk Maxwell in 1861. I’m not sure if its the quality of the photograph, or the quality of the scan of the photograph, but it is difficult to figure out what the subject of the photograph is. With a little research and the fact that James Clerk Maxwell was a Scott, I believe this to be a piece of tartan ribbon.
Source: Colour Photography (wikipedia)
First Image from Space | 1946
On October 24, 1946, not long after the end of World War II and years before the Sputnik satellite opened the space age, a group of soldiers and scientists in the New Mexico desert saw something new and wonderful—the first pictures of Earth as seen from space. [source]
First Digitally Acquired Image | 1957
First image of the Entire Earth | 1968
The Apollo 8 mission’s impressive list of firsts includes; the first manned flight using the Saturn V rocket, the first humans to journey to the Earth’s Moon, and the first to photograph the Earth from deep space. [source]
First image obtained on another planet | 1975
On October 20 1975, Venera 9 (a Russian spacecraft) made a soft landing on the surface of Venus and took the first digital images on another planet.
Measurements made that day include a, “…surface pressure of about 90 atmospheres (9 MPa), temperature of 485 °C, and surface light levels comparable to those at Earth mid-latitudes on a cloudy summer day.” [source]
First image of planet outside solar system | 2005
The first planet outside of our solar system to be imaged orbits a brown dwarf (centre-right) at a distance that is nearly twice as far as Neptune is from the sun. The photo is based on three near-infrared exposures (in the H, K and L’ wavebands) with the NACO adaptive-optics facility at the 8.2-m VLT Yepun telescope at the ESO Paranal Observatory. [source]
Any images to add?
24 Oct 07
9:31 am
Thought I would tell you, as a silent fan of your blog, that I just got a “Malware” warning when I was led here from Google. Apparently Google thinks your blog contains malware.
05 Dec 07
9:07 am
(Now I know why I learned arithmetic in grammar school; such a relief)
Dear Max,
This is a great timeline. It’s brilliant just as it is - and if you added to it - it would be more brilliant. I don’t know much about the history of photography - but I would think about adding Edward Muybridge - first stop-action high-speed scientific photography (Horses in mid-stride, I think, is what he was first famous for).
Jon
05 Dec 07
9:15 am
[...] A Timeline of Imagery Firsts at MaxPower [...]
04 Jan 08
5:33 pm
Hey great new look! Love the story too. How bout the frirst Xray or microscope stuff… innerspace?
12 Feb 08
12:09 pm
Great timeline! I was especially fond of the first one for some reason.
Side Note: I didn’t get the Malware warning from Google… hopefully they clear it up so you yours readers don’t run away!
15 May 08
5:22 am
Edward Muybridge - first stop-action high-speed scientific photography Horses in mid-stride, I think, is what he was first famous for.
21 Jul 08
9:17 pm
You forgot the first photograph using artificial light done by Nikola Tesla.
22 Jul 08
2:48 am
La primera foto de……
La primera foto de la historia. La primera foto de la historia de desnudos. La primera foto de la historia bajo el agua. La primera foto aerea de la historia . La primera foto de la historia a color. La primera foto de la historia desde el espacio. La …
22 Jul 08
4:04 am
As primeiras fotos……
Colección de fotos historicas que foron as primeiras en algo: primeira foto de todas, primeira foto de xente espida, primeira foto aérea, primeira foto en cor……
22 Jul 08
8:22 am
These photos are wonderful - thank you. It’s incredible how quickly the pioneers of photography moved on from something as basic as Niepce’s picture.
Oh, and “The Society for the Encouragement of Aerial Locomotion by Means of Heavier than Air Machines” IS the best society of all time, ever.
Joe - http://www.anewbandaday.com
22 Jul 08
9:44 am
[...] vez te has preguntado cual fue la primera foto de un desnudo de la historia? Pues en esta web han recopilado esa y otras fotos que fueron la primera de la historia en “algo”. Realmente [...]
22 Jul 08
5:52 pm
[...] you click here you´ll see whole it and another "first" photographs of different [...]
22 Jul 08
6:23 pm
August Toepler for schlieren (German for striations) photography. Otto Weiner and G. Lippman for color photography based on holographic principles. One or both won the Nobel prize for the work. Frits Zernicke for phase contrast photography.
22 Jul 08
11:05 pm
[...] clipped from http://www.maxpower.ca [...]
23 Jul 08
8:21 am
[...] Les paso la lista y las fotos pero si quieren ver mas información van a tener que ir a donde saque la info. [...]
23 Jul 08
2:00 pm
[...] いろいろな初めての写真をまとめたブログです。 初めて撮られた写真は、1826年だとか。 [...]
23 Jul 08
2:37 pm
[...] : اینجا و گوگل [...]
25 Jul 08
12:26 pm
[...] A TIMELINE OF IMAGERY FIRSTS Didn’t realize first photo was in 1826 [...]
26 Jul 08
11:32 am
Great site! Let’s not forget the “first instant photograph” Edwin Land of the Polaroid Land Camera fame!!
29 Jul 08
9:30 am
[...] En este post (vía Meneame) hablan de las primeras fotos de la historia sobre algo en particular. Aquí van: [...]
04 Aug 08
2:10 pm
[...] Font: Wikipedia, maxpower [...]
05 Aug 08
5:38 pm
[...] Maxphoto (Vía: Xatakafoto) fotografías primigenias, primeras fotografías Fotos de caricaturas [...]
07 Aug 08
11:33 am
[...] listeye ve fotoğraflara buradan [...]
10 Aug 08
6:48 pm
Them two naked chicks are rock
11 Aug 08
4:18 am
[...] gne sistemi dnda baka bir gezegenin fotoraf ekilebildi. Tm listeye ve fotoraflara buradan ulaabilirsiniz __________________ Ayrlk vakti ise zor dner dilim, yolun [...]
11 Aug 08
4:38 am
Thanks for sharing!
19 Aug 08
4:13 pm
[...] Klik hier! [...]
24 Aug 08
10:40 pm
Years ago I saw a color photo of a red rose and it was date either 1836 or 1838. Has anyone else come across this photo?
22 Sep 08
11:34 am
[...] clipped from http://www.maxpower.ca [...]
26 Sep 08
4:31 am
[...] Fotorafn Tarihesi ve lk Yakalanan Fotoraflar lk fotorafn ne zaman ekildiini hi merak ettiniz mi? ok uzun bir gemie sahip olmayan fotoraf makineleri ve fotorafln ilkleri olduka etkileyici. Gelin fotorafn tarihinde bir yolculuk yapalm. ilk fotoraf "ekilen ilk fotoraf" olarak kaytlara geen Joseph Nicphore Nipce tarafndan kaydedilen bu fotoraf, 1826 ylnda alma odasndan alnd. ilk n fotoraf Yukarda yer alan bu fotoraf ise, dnyann ilk n fotoraf. 1839 ylnda Louis-Jacques-Mand ekildi. su altnda ekilen ilk fotoraf Dnyann ilk su altnda ekilen fotoraf ise 1858 tarihli ve Gaspar Felix Tournachon tarafndan alnd. havadan ekilen ilk fotoraf Havadan ekilen ilk fotoraf da 1858 ylna ait. Yine Gaspar Felix Tournachon kamerasn da yanna alp yksek bir yere trmand ve bu fotoraf almay baard. ilk renkli fotoraf lk renkli fotoraf ise 1861 ylnda James Clerk Maxwell tarafndan ekildi. ay’dan ilk fotoraf uzaydan dnya’ya ilk bak, ilk fotoraf 1956 ylna gelindiinde ise ay’dan alnan ilk fotoraf gsterildi. Ardndan, 1968 ylnda dnya’nn uzaydan ekilen fotoraf geldi. baka bir gezegenin ilk fotoraf 1975 ylnda ise baka bir gezegenin yzeyinden ekilen fotoraf. gne sisteminin dndaki ilk fotoraf Son olarak da 2005 ylnda gne sistemi dnda baka bir gezegenin fotoraf ekilebildi. Maxpower [...]
13 Oct 08
4:49 am
HI,
It’s simply Great and powerful.
These photos are wonderful - thank you. It’s incredible how quickly the pioneers of photography moved on from something as basic as Niece picture.
17 Oct 08
7:37 am
really good
08 Nov 08
5:21 pm
[...] digital. Please suggest any images you feel should be added. Sources are cited as much as possible. via Views: 0 Comments: 1 Posted on : elbandito on 22 August, 2008 10:38:22 Daca ai [...]
26 Apr 09
12:52 am
You might want to mention the first instance where digital photography bested film photography. It was in New York on 9/11. When the film photographers opened their cameras to change the roll of film, the dust that blew through the air ruined their cameras. The digital photographers just kept shooting until they filled up their cards. This is why the best photos of the fall of the towers are all digital.
19 Aug 09
9:59 am
[...] pelo menos cinco anos antes que o vocábulo fosse utilizado pela primeira vez na Europa. A Timeline of Imagery Firsts The First Photograph Pictura agradece ao Arthur Monteiro e ao Eduardo [...]