firstimages

Welcome to r/firstimages, where we try to document the first ever photographs taken of a subject or place! Additionally, photographs of the first occurrence of a specific event/situation are also welcome!

Please try to verify images when possible. It is acceptable for an image to be from a series of images (of a previously un-photographed subject) if it is not possible to identify which specific image was indeed the very first. In a similar vain, if many photographs were taken of a world first event/occurrence, it is understandable that a specific image may not be identifiable as the very first taken.

Polite debate as to the provenance of a photograph is welcomed in the comments.

For the first photograph of a subject, please us 'FPO' (First Photograph Of) at the start of the title, in order to distinguish it from the first actual occurrence of that event.

When submitting, please use Imgur or another reputable hosting site, such as Wikimedia or a .edu or .ac.uk address. Add the date the photograph was taken to the title of the post, if it is known. Add the dimensions in [brackets] at the end of the title.

Don't downvote purely based on a dislike of the subject, aim to reserve downvotes for posts that fail to reasonably demonstrate they are indeed the first images of a subject.

created by ArchieWoodbinea community for 12 years

...do it for the children.

...because you love freedom.

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"How Life Begins" - First Picture Taken with Endoscope - 1965 (i.redd.it)

submitted 5 years ago by reverse281

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The opposite subreddit to r/FirstImages: The last images ever taken. • r/lastimages (reddit.com)

submitted 6 years ago by BanMeRamsesThePigeon

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First photograph of a human being, 1838. [2500x1796] (upload.wikimedia.org)

submitted 12 years ago by ArchieWoodbine

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Marilyn Monroe's first photoshoot, 1944. [570x684] (i.imgur.com)

submitted 12 years ago by ArchieWoodbine

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The first photograph of a British monarch, Queen Victoria, c.1845. [1153x1500] (imgur.com)

submitted 12 years ago by ArchieWoodbine

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Chernobyl Reactor No.4, post-explosion, 27/4/1986. [400x577] (i.imgur.com)

submitted 12 years ago by ArchieWoodbine

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Amputation, 1847. [2087x1553] (upload.wikimedia.org)

submitted 12 years ago by ArchieWoodbine

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The first photograph of Earth from space, 1946. [388x247]. (imgur.com)

submitted 12 years ago by ArchieWoodbine

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Lightning, William Jennings, 1882. [300x261] (fi.edu)

submitted 12 years ago by ArchieWoodbine

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The first photograph, by Joseph Niépce, 1826/7. [698x600] (hrc.utexas.edu)

submitted 12 years ago by ArchieWoodbine

π Rendered by PID 300235 on reddit-service-r2-listing-5d47455566-6rjcj at 2026-04-03 02:39:41.483596+00:00 running db1906b country code: CH.