First Photos

John William Draper

The first known photographic portrait of a woman was taken in 1840. The subject, Dorothy Catherine Draper, was the sister of the photographer, John William Draper (1811-1882), one of the pioneers of the art and who is generally recognized as having taken the first picture of the moon. Here's a little collection of other first photos of particular things, like the first one of people playing chess and the first one of lightning: http://hyperallergic.com/83097/20-of-the-first-photographs-of-things-from-people-to-hoaxes-to-the-moon/