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Would you stand still for 15 minutes to take that perfect selfie?
In 1839, a Philadelphian named Robert Cornelius did just that — and made history in the process.
“He set up his makeshift camera outside his parents’ shop, and he stood there in complete stillness for five minutes, 15 minutes,” said Joanna Dunphy, the artistic director of Historic Philadelphia Incorporated. It’s not exactly clear how long Cornelius sat for the picture. “Tough to say. He didn’t write that down.”
“From that, he took the first selfie, and somehow his beautifully tousled hair did not shift too much,” Dunphy said. “And it is a gorgeous photo.”
Today’s selfies are instant and ubiquitous. Everyone has a camera on them at all times in their pocket. However, for Cornelius, creating the first selfie took skill and dedication.
Creating the first selfie
Cornelius was an inventor, who worked for his father’s lamp-making business. He was trained in silver plating and metal work.
He became interested in photography after watchmaker and inventor Joseph Saxton asked him to help create a daguerreotype — a recently invented (at that time) French photographic device that made more detailed and longer lasting images than anything prior.
“Before this time, it was impossible to know someone’s true appearance unless you met them in person,” Smithsonian Magazine’s Ryan P. Smith wrote in 2018. “You could not look back on the faces of your children once they reached adulthood, nor those of your late parents once they were laid to rest… Daguerreotypes gave the American people the ability to preserve — not merely imagine — their collective history.”
Unfortunately, creating a daguerreotype is not easy and actually a bit dangerous. It involves working with chemicals like bromine and mercury, as well as using specific metal plates.
“Joseph Saxton needed somebody who could provide a copper plate that was covered in silver, and that person was Robert Cornelius,” Dunphy said.
Saxton is believed to have taken the oldest photo in the United States — a grainy image of Philadelphia Central High School and the Pennsylvania State Arsenal. After helping Saxton, Cornelius wanted to create his own daguerreotype.
“He did not have all the proper equipment, so he fashioned it himself,” Dunphy said. “He made the camera out of a tin box and opera glasses.”
Instead of taking pictures of buildings like Joseph Saxton did, Cornelius pointed his device at something different — himself.
“Just like humans have done throughout time, whether it’s a cave painting or Van Gogh painting himself, we turn it back on ourselves,” Dunphy said. “So I think he, for him, it wasn’t art. He wasn’t trying to start something new. For him, it seems like it was more like a scientific experiment.”
A First Selfie Celebration
To honor Cornelius’ inaugural selfie, the historic district is throwing a “Firstival” at Franklin Square this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m as part of its ongoing 52 Weeks of Firsts celebration.
Artist Alana Bograd painted the number one sculpture to celebrate the milestone, which includes a colorful recreation of Cornelius’ photo, a daguerreotype and more modern phone selfies.
Bograd said she was inspired by Cornelius’ dedication to photography, especially knowing how long he had to stand still for his selfie.
“To me that was pretty funny,” she said. “Selfies are a big part of our culture. I have a teenager. I have an eight-year-old. They’ve been making selfies on my phone for a very long time now, and I don’t think it’s going anywhere.”
Dunphy said she’s not surprised at how far selfies have come since Cornelius’ day.
“I think we all want to be remembered, and when we are taking the picture of ourselves, I can’t tell you how many families I know where someone is always left out of the photo because somebody has to take the photo,” she said. “But with a selfie, you’re now always included. You can take a selfie with your family in front of that cool historical thing, and that’s how I feel like it has evolved.”
“I think the selfie, in a strange way too, is another way for us to connect,” she added.
Check out BP’s full guide to all of this year’s Firstivals below.
Completed
Week 1: Successful balloon flight in America (1793)
Week 2: The Mummers parade, the nation’s first folk parade (1901)
Week 3: Volunteer fire company (1736)
Week 4: Professional basketball league (1898)
Week 5: Public Girl Scout cookie sale (1932)
Week 6: African Methodist Episcopal congregation (1794)
Week 7: Abolitionist society in America (1775)
Week 8: Authentic Chinese gate built in America (1984)
Week 9: Public protest against slavery in America (1688)
Week 10: Flower Show (1829)
Week 11: Women’s medical college (1850)
Week 12: Matchbook (1892)
Week 13: Medical school (1765)
Week 14: Stadium (1895)
Week 15: Circus performance (1793)
Week 16: Botanical garden (1728)
Week 17: Postmaster (1737)
Week 18: American-made piano and sousaphone (1775 and 1893)
Week 19: Mother’s Day (1908)
Week 20: Hospital in America (1751)
Week 21: World’s Fair on American soil (1876)
Week 22: Steamboat for passengers and freight (1787)
Week 23: American flag (1777)
Week 24: U.S. Army (1775)
Week 25: Annual Reminder demonstration (1965)
Week 26: Paper maker in America (1690)
Week 27: Bank of the United States (1791)
Week 28: Organized baseball team (1831)
Week 29: Ice cream soda (Oct. 1874)
Week 30: American art school (1805)
Week 31: Scientific Society of Natural History (1812)
Week 31: Zoo in America (1874)
Week 32: U.S. Mint (1793)
Upcoming
• Selfie (1839)
Aug. 22, Franklin Square, 6th & Race Streets
• Slinky (1943)
Aug. 29, American Philosophical Society, 104 South 5th Street
• Signing of the Constitution (1787)
Sept. 5, National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St.
• Continental Congress (1774)
Sept. 12 at Carpenters’ Hall, 320 Chestnut St.
• Naming of the United States (1776)
Sept. 19, Independence Hall
• Ronald McDonald House (1974)
Sept. 26, Ronald McDonald House, 3925 Chestnut St.
• Penitentiary in America (1829)
Oct. 3, Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Ave.
• The First Peoples
Oct. 10, Penn Museum, 3260 South St.
• U.S. Navy and Marine Corps (1775)
Oct. 17, Arch Street Meeting House, 320 Arch St.
• Public showing of a motion picture (1870)
Oct. 24, Philadelphia Film Society, 1412 Chestnut St.
• Modern detective story written (1841)
Oct. 31, Edgar Allan Poe House, 532 N. 7th St.
• Thanksgiving Day parade in America (1920)
Nov. 7, Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, 101 South Independence Mall East
• University in America (1740)
Nov. 14, Houston Hall, The University of Pennsylvania, 3417 Spruce St.
• Children’s hospital in America (1855)
Nov. 21, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Main Building, 3401 Civic Center Blvd.
• Pencil with an attached eraser (1858)
Nov. 28, National Liberty Museum, 321 Chestnut St.
• Weather bureau (1870)
Dec. 5, The Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St.
• Electronic computer (1945)
Dec. 12, The University of Pennsylvania, 3451 Walnut St.
• Public lending library in America (1731)
Dec. 19, The Library Company of Philadelphia, 1314 Locust St.
• Philly food firsts: Cheesesteaks (1930s), water ice (1932) and bubble gum (1928)
Dec. 26, Reading Terminal Market, 1136 Arch St.
Editor’s note: WHYY President and CEO Bill Marrazzo serves as chair of the board of trustees for the Independence Historical Trust.
