Henri Evenepoel, 1898

 

by Agape Charmani

In the long, frustrating list of “first world problems”, mirror selfies would probably take 2nd place -only because I’m pretty certain we can find something even worse to whine about in another article.

Having started somewhere around 2005 -if I remember correctly, mirror selfies were the ultimate social media trend -and by social media I mean MySpace and Hi5. This trend was forced upon us through a seminal evolution in mobile technology, as the new self-phones had a camera on their back. Ten years after and mirror selfies are still a thing, combined with the need to show your friends your latest phone in addition to your stylish outfit.

Who would have thought that our ancestors were not only geniuses when they invented photography, but they were also the same narcissists we are when it comes to taking a cool selfie. Below you can enjoy an interesting selection of self-portraits, taken by artists, photographers and royalty(!)

Nasseredin Shah (King of Iran) with his concubines, ca. 1800s
German fraternity mirror selfie, 1912
Harold Cazneau, 1910
Ilse Bing, age of 14, Frankfort, 1913
ca. 1880s
Luxembourgian-American photographer Edward Jean Steichen, 1917
Photographers in their Studio, 1890
Russian princess Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, 1914
Nikolaevna with her sister, 1915
Unknown man, ca. 1900s
Unknown woman, ca. 1900s
Soldier Thomas Charles Richmond Baker, 1917
Swiss photographer Frédéric Boissonnas, 1900
Trooper George Simpson Millar, Egypt, 1915
Unknown woman, Tallahassee, Florida, ca. 1900s
Unknown man with his wife, 1905
Unknown woman, ca. 1900s
Early Edwardian woman, 1900 with a Kodak Brownie box camera