The First Selfie Ever Was Taken in 1839

Where it all began.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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The art of the "selfie," the abridged name for "self-portrait" has become a phenomenon unlike we've ever seen before. This is the earliest surviving photographic portrait of a person, and it's a self-portrait of photographer Robert Cornelius (1809-1893). Taken in 1839, it marks the first ever “selfie," and thankfully self-portraiture has developed into an art form in itself since then.

RELATED: The 100 Hottest Instagram Selfies of Summer 2012

[via Buzzfeed]

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