First selfie was taken 175 years ago

Taking your own picture is no new fad and here’s proof. Robert Cornelius set the camera and sat still for five minutes for a selfie in 1839

New York: Even when there were no front-facing cameras, high mega-pixels and the craze of fake pouts, there were selfies. In 1839, 30-year-old Robert Cornelius took the world’s first self-portrait or selfie at the back of his father’s shop in Philadelphia. For this, he removed the lens cap, ran into the frame and sat still for five minutes before running back and replacing the lens cap.

Son of a Dutch immigrant, Cornelius went on to become a photographer specialising in portraits. He later returned to his father’s lamp business and managed it for 20 years.

His company was touted as the largest lighting company in the US. Retired in 1877, Cornelius died in 1893. — Agencies

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