This is a list of photographs considered the most important in surveys where authoritative sources review the history of the medium not limited by time period, region, genre, topic, or other specific criteria. These images may be referred to as the most important, most iconic, or most influential—but they are all considered key images in the history of photography.

19th century

Before 1850

Image Title Date Photographer Location Notes Cited survey(s)
Original
Enhanced
 View from the Window at Le Gras 1826 Nicéphore Niépce Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, France Considered the oldest surviving camera photograph.[1] [s 1][s 2][s 3]
Original paper negative
Enhanced positive
 Windows From Inside South Gallery[a] August 1835 William Henry Fox Talbot Lacock, United Kingdom The earliest surviving photographic negative and the earliest surviving paper photograph.[3][4] [s 1]
Boulevard du Temple, Paris, 3rd arrondissement 1838 Louis Daguerre Paris, France The earliest surviving photograph depicting a person.[5] [s 1][s 2]
Original
Enhanced
 Self‐Portrait as a Drowned Man 18 October 1840 Hippolyte Bayard France One of the earliest known staged photographs.[6] [s 1]
The Haystack 1844[b] William Henry Fox Talbot Lacock, United Kingdom[9] [s 1]

1850s

Image Title Date Photographer Location Notes Cited survey(s)
  • Pierrot Laughing
    Pierrot Laughing
  • Pierrot the photographer
    Pierrot the photographer
  • Tournachon Deburau Pierrot
    Tournachon Deburau Pierrot
  • Pierrot Climbing Through a Window
    Pierrot Climbing Through a Window
  • Pierrot Running
    Pierrot Running
 The Mime Charles Deburau as Pierrot 1854 Nadar France [s 1]
The Valley of the Shadow of Death 1855 Roger Fenton Crimea [s 2]
Sergeant Dawson and his Daughter 1855 John Jabez Edwin Mayall [where?] [s 1]
The Brig[c] 1856 Gustave Le Gray Normandy, France [s 1]
Portrait of Nariakira Shimazu 17 September 1857 Shiro Ichiki Japan
Isambard Kingdom Brunel Standing Before the Launching Chains of the Great Eastern[d] November 1857 Robert Howlett London, United Kingdom [s 1]
Two Ways of Life 1857 Oscar Gustave Rejlander [where?] [s 1]
La Vallée de l'Huisne (River Scene) 1857 Camille Silvy Nogent-le-Rotrou, France [s 1]
Fading Away 1858 Henry Peach Robinson Warwickshire, United Kingdom[13] [s 1]

1860s

Image Title Date Photographer Location Notes Cited survey(s)
Abraham Lincoln 1860 Mathew Brady New York City, United States [s 2][s 4]
First Aerial Photograph[e] 13 October 1860 James Wallace Black Boston, United States [s 2]
Cathedral Rock 1861 Carleton Watkins Coconino National Forest, United States [s 2]
The Dead of Antietam[f] 1862 Alexander Gardner Antietam, United States [s 2][s 3]
The Scourged Back 1863 McPherson & Oliver Baton Rouge, United States [s 3]
Execution of the Lincoln Conspirators at Washington Arsenal 1865 Alexander Gardner Washington D.C., United States [s 1]
Portrait of Sir John Herschel 1867 Julia Margaret Cameron Hawkhurst, United Kingdom [s 1]
Beckoning West 1869 Andrew J. Russell Promontory, United States [s 3]

1870s

Image Title Date Photographer Location Notes Cited survey(s)
Great Falls of the Yellowstone River 1871 William Henry Jackson Yellowstone National Park, United States [s 3]
Ancient Ruins in the Canyon de Chelly 1873 Timothy O'Sullivan Canyon de Chelly National Monument, United States [s 1]
The Horse in Motion June 1878 Eadweard Muybridge Palo Alto, United States [s 2][s 3]

1880s

Image Title Date Photographer Location Notes Cited survey(s)
Water Rats 1886 Frank Meadow Sutcliffe Whitby, United Kingdom [s 1]
Bandits' Roost, 59 1/2 Mulberry Street 1888 Jacob Riis New York City, United States [s 2]

1890s

Image Title Date Photographer Location Notes Cited survey(s)
The Hand of Mrs. Wilhelm Röntgen 1895 Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen Würzburg, Germany [s 2][s 3]
Girl with a Mirror 1898 Clarence H. White New York City, United States [s 1]
Portrait of Emil Racovitza 1899 Louis Boutan Banyuls-sur-Mer, France [s 3]

20th century

1900s

Image Title Date Photographer Location Notes Cited survey(s)
A Sea of Steps (Wells Cathedral) 1903 Frederick H. Evans Wells, United Kingdom [s 1]
First Flight 1903 John T. Daniels Kill Devil Hills, United States [s 3]
The Vanishing Race 1904 Edward S. Curtis United States [s 1][s 2]
The Pond—Moonlight 1904 Edward Steichen Mamaroneck, United States [s 2]
The Steerage 1907 Alfred Stieglitz Aboard the SS Kaiser Wilhelm II, possibly anchored at Plymouth, United Kingdom.[14] This photo depicts passengers on steerage decks on the SS Kaiser Wilhelm II.[15] [s 1][s 2]
Child Laborer in Newberry, South Carolina Cotton Mill[g] 1908 Lewis Hine Newberry, United States [s 2]
Cactus Hot Air Balloon 1909 Lumière Brothers Paris, France [s 3]

1910s

Image Title Date Photographer Location Notes Cited survey(s)
Breaker Boys 1911 Lewis Hine Pittston, United States [s 3]
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire 25 March 1911 Brown Brothers New York City, United States [s 3]
Storyville Portrait 1912 E.J. Bellocq New Orleans, United States [s 1]
Une Delage au Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France de 1912 1912 Jacques-Henri Lartigue Dieppe, France This photo depicts René Croquet [fr], with his riding mechanic.[h][17][18][19][20] [s 1]
Abstraction, Porch Shadows[i] 1916[j] Paul Strand Twin Lakes, United States [s 1]
Blind Woman, New York 1916 Paul Strand New York City, United States [s 2]

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

21st century

2000s

2010s

2020s

The last American soldier, Chris Donahue, leaving Afghanistan after the War in Afghanistan

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Talbot's 1835 photograph has also been referred to as Lacock Oriel Window (Latticed Window)[s 1] or simply Latticed Window.[2]
  2. ^ The Metropolitan Museum of Art dates their copy of Talbot's Haystack as "probably 1841".[7] The National Gallery of Canada dates it to April 1844.[8]
  3. ^ Gustave Le Grey's The Brig is also referred to as Brig on the Water[10][11] and The Brig in Moonlight.[12]
  4. ^ Robert Howlett's image is referred to as Isambard Kingdom Brunel before the Launch of the Leviathan in The Oxford Companion to the Photograph.
  5. ^ In fact, the oldest aerial photo was taken by Nadar in 1858 and showed a panorama of Paris, but it has not survived to our times. Nadar's other surviving photograph of Paris dates from 1866. Wallace's photo shows Boston.[citation needed]
  6. ^ Alexander Gardener's 1862 The Dead of Antietam is also referred to as Civil War Battlefield or Bodies on the battlefield at Antietam.
  7. ^ The collection item for the Library of Congress gives a much longer title that includes commentary from the photographer: A little spinner in the Mollahan Mills, Newberry, S.C. She was tending her "sides" like a veteran, but after I took the photo, the overseer came up and said in an apologetic tone that was pathetic, "She just happened in." Then a moment later he repeated the information. The mills appear to be full of youngsters that "just happened in," or " are helping sister." Dec. 3, 08. Witness Sara R. Hine. Location: Newberry, South Carolina.[16]
  8. ^ Also titled Grand Prix of the Automobile Club de France, 1912 or Automobile Delage, Grand Prix de l’Automobile-Club de France, Le Tréport, 26 juin 1912 Sources including the Oxford University Press, erronously claimed this photograph to be taken in 1912 (as dated by Lartique himself later) when it took place in 1913. The driver, identified as René Croquet, raced as #20 in 1912; he was driving a Théophile Schneider in both races, neither in a Delage. There was no #6 in the 1912 race.
  9. ^ Also referred to as Abstraction, Porch Shadows, Connecticut and Abstraction, Shadows of a Veranda, Connecticut.
  10. ^ Also dated to 1913 and 1915.
  11. ^ Huynh Cong "Nick" Ut's 1972 Napalm attack is also referred to as The Terror of War, Phan Thị Kim Phúc, or Vietnam children after napalm attack.

Sources

These surveys of the history of photography determine which images are included in the list.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp "Chronology". Oxford Companion to the Photograph. Oxford University Press. 2005. ISBN 978-0-19-866271-6. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz "100 Photographs | The Most Influential Images of All Time". Time. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx "The 100 Most Important Photos Ever". Life. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "What Was the Most Influential Photograph in History?". The Atlantic. 9 December 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "25 of the most iconic photographs". CNN. September 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av Griffin, Elizabeth (28 March 2016). "50 of the World's Most Remarkable Photographs". Esquire. Retrieved 21 February 2020.

Additional references

  1. ^ "100 Photographs that Changed the World". The Digital Journalist. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  2. ^ Clarke, Graham (8 May 1997). The Photograph. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-19-284200-8.
  3. ^ "[The Oriel Window, South Gallery, Lacock Abbey]". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Windows From Inside South Gallery, Lacock Abbey. 1937-361. Science Museum Group Collection Online". Science Museum Group. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  5. ^ Dhaliwal, Ranjit. "The birth of the daguerrotype – picture of the day". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  6. ^ Fletcher, Jane (2005), "staged photography", The Oxford Companion to the Photograph, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acref/9780198662716.001.0001/acref-9780198662716-e-1462, ISBN 978-0-19-866271-6, retrieved 16 February 2024
  7. ^ "William Henry Fox Talbot | The Haystack". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  8. ^ "The Haystack (The J. Paul Getty Museum Collection)". The J. Paul Getty Museum Collection. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Brig on the Water". Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Brig on the Water". Princeton University Art Museum. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Gustave Le Gray, The Brig". Musée d'Orsay. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Fading Away (x1984-1)". artmuseum.princeton.edu. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  13. ^ Stieglitz, Alfred (1907), The Steerage, retrieved 18 February 2024
  14. ^ Arikoglu, Lale (5 November 2015). "Who Were They? The Truth Behind Stieglitz's Iconic Photograph 'The Steerage' Revealed". Observer. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017.
  15. ^ "A little spinner in the Mollahan Mills, Newberry, S.C. She was tending her "sides" like a veteran, but after I took the photo, the overseer came up and said in an apologetic tone that was pathetic, "She just happened in." Then a moment later he repeated the information. The mills appear to be full of youngsters that "just happened in," or " are helping sister." Dec. 3, 08. Witness Sara R. Hine. Location: Newberry, South Carolina / Photo by Lewis W. Hine". Library of Congress. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  16. ^ "[5] Le Grand Prix Automobile de l'ACF 1913 à Amiens - Les publicités d'antan". pubdantan.canalblog.com (in French). 31 May 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  17. ^ "Jacques-Henri Lartigue | Le Grand Prix A.C.F." The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  18. ^ "The story of a photography". memento. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  19. ^ "Automobile Delage, Grand Prix de l'Automobile-Club de France, le Tréport, 26 juin 1912 | Classic Photographs | 2021".
  20. ^ "[Two "mug shots" of Al Capone made by the Miami police; head-and-shoulders portrait facing right and head-and-shoulders portrait facing front]". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Girl from iconic Great Depression photo: 'We were ashamed'". CNN. 3 December 2008. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  22. ^ Jamieson, Alastair (21 September 2008). "Robert Capa 'faked' war photo new evidence produced". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 5 June 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2009. Looking at the photos it is clear that it is not the heat of battle. It is likely the soldiers were carrying out an exercise either for Capa or themselves.
  23. ^ "See The Photo That Forever Changed Air Travel". 100 Photographs | The Most Influential Images of All Time. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  24. ^ "The Camera Overseas: 136,000,000 People See This Picture of Shanghai's South Station". Life. Vol. 3, no. 14. Time, Inc. 4 October 1937. pp. 102–103. ISSN 0024-3019.
  25. ^ Buell, Hal (2006). Uncommon Valor, Common Virtue: Iwo Jima and the Photograph that Captured America. Berkeley, California: Berkeley Publishing Group/Penguin Group. pp. 104, 221. ISBN 978-0-425-20980-6. Archived from the original on 8 July 2014.
  26. ^ Sontheimer, Michael (5 July 2008). "The Art of Soviet Propaganda: Iconic Red Army Reichstag Photo Faked". Der Spiegel. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
  27. ^ "Greta Zimmer Friedman dies; kissed sailor in World War II iconic photo". The Washington Times. 11 September 2016. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  28. ^ "How One Photo Turned Gandhi Into An Icon". 100 Photographs | The Most Influential Images of All Time. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  29. ^ Krock, Lexi (22 April 2003). "Anatomy of Photo 51". NOVA online. PBS. Archived from the original on 29 July 2010.
  30. ^ Communists, Capitalists still buy into Iconic Che Photo, Author says Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine by Brian Byrnes, CNN, 5 May 2009
  31. ^ "How A Photographer Captured The Line Between Freedom and Repression". 100 Photographs | The Most Influential Images of All Time. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  32. ^ Rowell, Galen. "The Earthrise Photograph". ABC. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013.
  33. ^ "Apollo 17: The Blue Marble". ehartwell.com. 25 April 2007. Archived from the original on 16 May 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2008.
  34. ^ "Vietnam war's 'napalm girl' Kim Phuc has laser treatment to heal wounds". The Guardian. Associated Press. 25 October 2015. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  35. ^ Alfano, Sean (4 June 2009). ""Tank Man": The Picture That Almost Wasn't". CBS News. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011.
  36. ^ Moskowitz, Clara (1 September 2014). "An Origin Story, How the Iconic Pillars of Creation Arose". Scientific American: 21. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0914-21. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016.
  37. ^ "Former detainee blames trauma on US captors", The Washington Post; accessed 5 January 2019.
Categories