43 Rare Photos That Reveal the Astonishing Secrets of Early Photography’s Dawn

Photography has come a long way since the first ever photo saw the light of day. We’ve gone from painstakingly exposing metal plates for hours at a time, to snapping high-definition selfies in the blink of an eye. Some might even argue that much of the true magic of photography has been lost in the digital era.

Long before social media, Instagram and iPhoneography, people risked chemicals, smoke, and other dangers in a bid to trap light and time on a surface. Their work opened the door to photography as both an art and a science. Miraculously, some of the first ever photographs taken hundreds of years ago have stood the test of time.

The world’s first photographs weren’t just images. Each one captures not only a subject, but also the spirit of human innovation. They tell the story of how people learned to “draw with light.” They speak to trial and error, scientific curiosity and the sheer wonder that once surrounded this new art form.

Bored Panda has put together a list of the most incredible oldest surviving photographs for you to admire instead of mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. From the world’s very first image ever taken, to the first photo captured under water, each provides a fragile portal to another time and place.