First Photographs: People, Places, and Phenomena As Captured for the First Time by the Camera

by Gail Buckland

Collects over three hundred photographs representing the first mechanically produced pictures of a wide range of subjects, including the first shots of America, of Hitler as German chancellor, from the moon, through a microscope, and much more

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1980

Reviews

[Christian D. D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cool to be reunited with this back after 38 years (harkening back to when I was 10 y/o)! As an adult, I have a greater appreciation for author Gail Buckland’s witty writing style now than I did back then, such as her closing remarks in her writeup on the first photograph of an automobile race:

“The men in this picture, photographed eighty-six years agp, really started something—the idea that me and my machine can go faster and faster. Giddyap! Whoa! You are now entering a 30-mph zone.”

Anyway, the book’s title is pretty self-explanatory. All sorts of fascinating subjects, from the first photograph of *any* kind to the first *color* photograph, first aerial photo, first underwater photo, first photo of POTUS and First Lady, and so forth.

Bur for me, the ultimate highlight of the book is the same for me now as when I first read in back in 1985: the color photos of the Hindenburg disaster.

[Joan D · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am only half the way through First Photographs but have formed some opinions about it already. The idea for the book, that the author/editor would collect photos of events that were recorded by cameras for the first time, is a worthwhile one. But the execution of the idea leaves something to be desired. One of the major problems is with the quality of many of the photographs. These early photos are not the clear images we expect based on current photography standards. I understand that will be a problem and am prepared to accept that issue. The most difficult ones are of people. For example, there is a photo of First Lady Dolley Madison. Her facial features cannot be made out, and the photo then becomes just a curiosity.
Also, the organization of the photos is alphabetical by topic. That means that as you go through the book the topics jump from one disparate topic to another, from algae to American Indian to anesthesia. The last problem is that the text accompanying the photos sometimes states the obvious and is not written much better than I write. Overall, First Photography needed a firm editor to deal with the issues of organization and the text. It was published by MacMillan so I am sure one was envolved.