The first photograph of a person was taken accidentally — they just happened to stand still long enough
Louis Daguerre's 1838 photograph of the Boulevard du Temple in Paris required an exposure time of roughly 10 minutes. During this time, all the people, horses, and carriages in motion were not captured — they moved too quickly for the long exposure. But one person — a man having his boots shined at the lower left corner — stayed still long enough to appear. Neither Daguerre nor the man knew history was being made. The man's name is unknown. He is the first human being ever photographed — immortalised by coincidence and the need for a shoeshine.
The 'first photograph of a person' sounds like a deliberate, momentous achievement. Finding it was accidental — a nameless stranger who happened to stand still while a photographer exposed a street scene — makes the beginning of human photography feel appropriately mundane and human.
“The first photograph of a person (1838) was taken by accident. Daguerre needed 10 minutes of exposure — everyone moved except one man getting his boots shined. His name is unknown. He's the first human ever photographed. 📷 #OddlyHuman”