10 Historic Selfie Moments That Shaped the Trend
Let’s face it: Your grandma probably takes selfies. Your dog might’ve photobombed one. And if you’re a Millennial, studies say you’ll snap over 25,000 selfies in your lifetime — spending roughly an hour a week perfecting that angle. Instagram alone sees 1,000 selfies uploaded every 10 seconds. But where did this global obsession begin? Buckle up for a time-traveling ride through vanity, innovation, and a few drunken Aussies.
1. 1433: Jan Van Eyck Paints the Original Flex
Centuries before hashtags, Flemish painter Jan Van Eyck decided he was the muse. His Portrait of a Man in a Red Turban (spoiler: it’s a chaperon, not a turban) is widely considered the first serious self-portrait in Western art. Hanging in London’s National Gallery since 1851, this oil-painted “selfie” set the stage for Renaissance artists to mirror their own glory. Van Eyck’s smirk? Pure “I invented this” energy.
2. 1839: Robert Cornelius and the 15-Minute Pose
Imagine holding a smile for 15 minutes. That’s what Philadelphia chemist Robert Cornelius did to create the first photographic selfie using Louis Daguerre’s clunky new invention. The daguerreotype process required polishing silver-plated copper and chemical baths — hardly a TikTok filter. Cornelius’ ghostly image, snapped outside his family’s lamp shop, is a haunting reminder that selfies have always been a labor of love.
3. 1865: Nadar’s Spin Chair and the Proto-GIF
French photographer Nadar (real name: Gaspard-Félix Tournachon) wasn’t content with one angle. In 1865, he plopped into a swivel chair, rotated slowly, and took 12 photos stitched into a revolving selfie — basically the 19th-century version of a Boomerang. Talk about a humble brag: this guy also pioneered aerial photography and interviewed Victor Hugo. Overachiever much?
4. 1900: The Kodak Brownie — Selfies for the Masses
George Eastman’s 1KodakBrowniecamera(about1KodakBrowniecamera(about30 today) turned photography into a hobby, not a chore. No more mailing your entire camera to a lab! Teens everywhere — including Russian royalty — suddenly had the power to snap. Which brings us to…
5. 1914: Anastasia’s Mirror Moment
Before her tragic end, 13-year-old Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna scribbled on the back of a mirror selfie: “My hands were trembling.” Using her Kodak Brownie, she captured a grainy but groundbreaking shot of teenage anxiety — proving that Gen Z doesn’t own the angst-and-aesthetics market.
6. 1966: Buzz Aldrin’s Space Selfie (Take That, Earthlings)
Decades before SpaceX, Buzz Aldrin snapped the ultimate out-of-this-world flex during a Gemini 12 spacewalk. Floating 17,000 mph above Earth, he later quipped, “Best. Selfie. Ever.” NASA’s Mars rover would later one-up him with a robotic arm selfie stick, but Aldrin’s remained iconic — because, well, space.
7. 2002: A Drunk Aussie Coins “Selfie”
The word “selfie” was born in a haze of booze and blood. In 2002, an Australian man named “Hopey” posted a photo of his busted lip online after a 21st birthday gone wrong. His caption? “Sorry about the focus… it was a selfie.” The typo-ridden post went viral in Aussie forums, and by 2013, Oxford Dictionary declared it Word of the Year — beating “bitcoin.” Priorities, people.
8. 2003: Front-Facing Cameras — No More Blind Guessing
Remember when taking a selfie meant hoping you were in frame? Thank (or curse) 2003’s front-facing phone cameras, designed for video calls but hijacked by selfie culture. Suddenly, duck faces and bathroom mirrors became a public spectacle.
9. 2011: Instagram’s #Selfie Revolution
Instagram launched in 2010, but it was user Jennifer Lee who tagged the first #selfie in January 2011 — a grainy shot of her forehead. The hashtag now clocks millions daily, from Kim K’s curated nudes to your cousin’s gym pics. Fun fact: Ellen DeGeneres’ 2014 Oscar selfie (with Meryl Streep and Brad Pitt) briefly crashed Twitter — a reminder that celebs are just like us, but with better lighting.
10. 2013: Oxford Says “Cheese!”
When Oxford Dictionaries crowned “selfie” Word of the Year in 2013, usage had spiked 17,000%. Merriam-Webster followed suit, defining it as “a self-taken digital photo.” By then, even Pope Francis was posing — though we doubt he’s mastered the art of the double chin angle.
From Van Eyck’s oils to Aldrin’s zero-gravity grin, the selfie isn’t just vanity — it’s a mirror to humanity’s timeless urge to say, “I was here.” And with AI filters and Mars rovers in the mix, who knows what the next 600 years will bring? One thing’s certain: Your grandkids will cringe at your 2025 selfies too.
