When most people think of historical figures from the 19th century they don’t think of photographs. It’s natural to think of the photograph as a relatively modern phenomenon but the truth is that the first known photograph was taken in 1826, nearly two centuries ago!
These historical figures lived long enough to be photographed.
1. John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was born in 1767 and served as the sixth president of the United States of America. While his political career was lackluster Adams is considered to have been a competent president.
Adams was photographed in 1843 when he was 76 years old and was the first president to be photographed.
2. Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin was born in 1809 and was one of the most influential scientific minds of his time due to his theories of evolution. Even during his lifetime Darwin’s influence went beyond the scientific community.
Despite this, it’s likely Darwin was not even aware photographs of him existed. It is believed he was photographed around 1854.
3. Samuel Wilson aka “Uncle Sam”
Made famous as the figure on iconic political posters most may not realize that “Uncle Sam” was a real person!
Born in 1766, Wilson was a meat packer supplying troops during the War of 1812. Shipments went out stamped “U.S.” (United States) but soldiers joked that it stood for “Uncle Sam”.
Wilson was photographed sometime in the 1850’s.
4. Daniel F. Bakeman
While relatively unknown, Daniel F. Bakeman lived a remarkable life. Bakeman was born in 1769 and was the last living Revolutionary War soldier upon his death.
He lived to be 110 years old and was photographed in 1868, one year before his death. It’s hard to imagine all the things he experienced in his long life.
5. Frederick Douglass
Douglass was a former slave and well known social reformer and abolitionist. He was known to be extremely aware of his public image and intentionally presented himself as intensely serious and stern.
He was photographed some time between 1847 and 1852. Keep reading to see more famous historical characters and their portraits.
6. John Tyler
John Tyler was born in 1790 and was the tenth President of the United States. He took office after the death of William Henry Harrison and his term as president was marked by alienation from both political parties. He is remembered unfavorably.
He was first photographed in 1845.
7. Emily Dickinson
Born in 1830, Emily Dickinson is undoubtedly one of the most well known poets in history but she did not receive recognition in her time. Very few of her poems were published during her lifetime and she reportedly lived an isolated life.
The only known photo of her as an adult was taken in 1847.
8. Henry McCarty aka Billy the Kid
Our next historical figure is Henry McCarty, born in 1859 better known by his nickname Billy the Kid, was a famous outlaw of the wild west. He earned his nickname because of his relative youth.
An accomplished marksman and gunslinger, Billy killed eight men before his own death at age 21.
9. Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln served as the sixteenth president of the United States and is perhaps one of the most well known politicians in history. Born in 1809, Lincoln had a decorated life as a statesman and lawyer before becoming president.
Lincoln was photographed several times in his life but the first known photo is from 1846 when he was 37 years old.
10. Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the fourteenth president of the United States. Born in 1804, Pierce was not well-liked when he was alive. He thought the abolitionist movement was a threat and was critical of Lincoln when he was in office.
He was photographed around 1855. Next up are some women that marked history.
11. Harriet Tubman
Born Araminta Ross in 1822, Tubman was a political activist and a well-known member of the abolitionist movement. She was also a major leading force behind the Underground Railroad, which transported runaway slaves to Canada and the northern states where slavery was abolished via secret routes.
She was photographed in 1868.
12. Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee was born in 1807, the son of a Revolutionary War veteran. He is best known as a general of the Confederate army during the Civil War. While he was considered a skilled military strategist, he is not remembered fondly due to his positive view of slavery.
Lee was photographed several times during his life.
13. George Armstrong Custer
Born in 1839, he is best known for his defeat at the Battle of Little Bighorn. George Custer had a reputation as a poor leader and a fool and he graduated at the bottom of his class from the military academy.
He was killed during the event that came to be known as Custar’s Last Stand.
14. Martha Jane Cannary (aka Calamity Jane)
Known as a sharpshooter and frontierswoman, Calamity Jane was born in 1852. There are so many legends of her skills and her deeds that it is not known what is true! Stories tell of a compassionate woman with the odd habit of wearing men’s clothes.
She was photographed often when she performed in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.
15. Marie Curie
Curie is a well known physicist and chemist born in 1867. Not only was she the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize, she is the only woman to have received two for her research and her work with radium.
She was photographed in 1900.
16. Ichabod Crane
Film: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
While most recognize the name Ichabod Crane from Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow the author never confirmed that his character was based on the real man. Crane was a colonel with a military career extended more than 50 years.
He was born in 1787 and photographed in 1848.
17. Chief Seattle
Chief Seattle was a leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish tribes who was born in 1864. He worked to maintain good relations between his people and the white settlers coming into the Pacific Northwest area. The city Seattle, Washington is named for him.
The best known photo of him was taken in 1864.
18. Lev Tolstoy
Born in 1828, Lev Tolstoy was a Russian author who is known for works such as War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Although he was nominated for a Nobel Prize four years in a row he has never been awarded one.
The most famous photo of him was taken in 1908 when he was 80 years old.
19. Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh is now a widely recognized post-impressionist artist that sadly did not receive much renown during his lifetime. He lived a troubled life and died tragically at the young age of 37.
Van Gogh is often associated with his iconic self portrait so few realize that photos of the painter do exist.
20. Conrad Heyer
Born in 1749, Conrad Heyer was a soldier during the Revolutionary War that served under General Washington. He was even a part of the crossing of the Deleware.
Heyer holds the distinction of being the earliest born American to have been photographed. He was 103 years old in the photo taken in 1852.
21. Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson served as the sixth president of the United States. He is one of the most hated presidents in history, some labeling him a tyrant. His legacy led to the abuse and mistreatment of Native Americans for years to come.
He was photographed shortly before his death in 1844.
22. James K. Polk
Born in 1795, James Polk served as the eleventh President of the United States. While not one of the most memorable presidents in history, he had a fairly successful presidential term. He expanded the US territories and settled border disputes in Texas.
Here, he was photographed in 1849.
23. Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley was the commander of the British military during the Napoleonic Wars and is best known for his victory at the Battle of Waterloo. After the war, he was noted as the most decorated military officer in Europe and later he would serve as the British Prime Minister.
He was born in 1769 and photographed several times in his life.
24. Goyahkla (aka Geronimo)
Geronimo was a leader of the Apache Tribe that was born in 1829. He is the last Native American leader to formally surrender to the United States military. After his surrender he was held as a prisoner of war for the last 20 years of his life.
The most famous photo of him was taken in 1887.
25. John Chapman (aka Johnny Appleseed)
Most children have heard the stories about Johnny Appleseed wandering all over the country planting apple trees. The real John Chapman was a pioneer botanist born in 1774 that introduced the apple tree to a number of different states. Like his legend, he was known to be a kind and compassionate man.
A few rare photos exist, taken in the 1840’s.
26. Harriet Beecher Stowe
Born in 1811, Stowe was an author and abolitionist best known for writing Uncle Tom’s Cabin. She was outspoken about her anti-slavery views and traveled the country to speak out. However, often her husband or brothers had to speak on her behalf because women were discouraged from public speaking.
She was photographed in 1870.
27. Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Born in 1806, Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a brilliant British engineer responsible for the design and construction of multiple bridges, railways, ships, dock systems, and prefabricated army hospitals. His work can be seen even today all over the UK.
The best known photo of him was taken in 1857, posing in front of one of the ships he designed.
28. Jefferson Davis
Born in 1808, Jefferson Davis is best remembered as the president of the Confederacy during the Civil War. Before that, he served during the Mexican-American War and was the Secretary of War under President Pierce.
He was first photographed in 1861. Next up are some historical figures that we still hear a lot about!
29. Sir John Herschel
Sir John Herschel was a truly talented man whose work in mathematics, astronomy, photography, and chemistry impacts life even to this day. He invented blueprints, created the Julian Day calendar used by astronomers, and pioneered work in photography.
He was born in 1792 and photographed in 1867.
30. Joseph Nicéphore Niépce
In this instance, Niépce is not the subject of the photo but the photographer. Niépce is credited as having taken the very first photograph in 1826. The photo took two days of exposure and not many details can be made out but it’s amazing to think that something taken that long ago still survives.
31. Robert LeRoy Parker (aka Butch Cassidy)
Born in 1866, Butch Cassidy led a band of outlaws best known for robbing trains and banks. They operated for a full decade before he and his accomplice, Harry Alonzo Longabaugh (aka the Sundance Kid), fled to Argentina to avoid prosecution. He is nowadays still a famous figure.
He was photographed in 1900.
32. Grigori Rasputin
Born in 1869, Rasputin was a mystic and healer known for his association with the family of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Many considered Rasputin to be the real power behind the throne.
He survived several assassination attempts before he was finally killed in 1916. He was photographed shortly before his death.
33. Jesse James
Best known as an outlaw in the Wildd West, Jesse James was a leader of the James-Younger Gang. He also joined a pro-Confederate vigilante group called the Bushwackers during the Civil War. He was born in 1847.
Several photos of him exist, most of them were taken in the 1880s.
34. John Brown
John Brown was born in 1800. He was a militant abolitionist that is best known for his involvement in the unsuccessful raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. This attempt led to his arrest and execution several months later.
He was photographed in the mid 1840s. Continue reading to see our last historical figure!
35. Martin Van Buren
Van Buren served as the eighth President of the United States and has the distinction of being the first president born an American citizen. While opinions on his presidency are mixed, most historians agree that he made many significant contributions to American politics.
He was photographed in 1849.
