The Evolution of the Selfie

Introduction

• Topic: Evolution of the selfie.
• Interesting Fact: Selfies were banned in the White House until July 1, 2015.
• Michael's Illegal Selfie: Took an illegal selfie at the White House in 2014.

Early Self-Depictions

• Oldest Known Self-Portrait: By Pharaoh Akhenaten’s first Chief Royal sculptor, Beck.
• Primitive Selfies: Reflections in water can be considered early selfies.
• First Wave Selfies: Unintentional self-resemblances like prehistoric human footprints.

Intentional Self-Depictions

• Second Wave: Intentional self-depictions, such as hand stencil prints in Chauvet caves (32,000 years old).
• Notable Figures: Jan Van Eyck and Judith Leyster.

Photography and the Selfie

• Third Wave: Emergence of photography in the 19th century.
• Robert Cornelius: Took a 15-minute exposure selfie in 1839.
• Photography Confusion: Confusion between Robert Cornelius's and Henry Fitz Jr.'s selfies.

Evolution of the Term 'Selfie'

• Contrastive Focus Reduplication: Using 'selfie selfie' to describe modern selfies.
• Photographic Self-Portraits: Not considered selfies at the time they were taken.

Mirror Selfies

• MV Lobethal: Earliest known mirror selfie (1846).
• Anonymous Mirror Selfie: A woman from around 1900, the oldest known selfie by an unknown individual.

Classic Selfie Techniques

• Joseph Byron: Outstretched arm selfie (1909).
• Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova: Took selfies at 13 years old, pioneering social behavior in photography.

The Role of Technology

• Early Selfie Sticks: Arnold and Helen Hogg (1925), Helmer Larson (1934), and others used poles for selfies.
• Vivian Dorothy Maier: Mirror selfies in the 1950s and 60s.
• Instant Cameras: Made selfies easier to take and less self-conscious.

Social Media and Selfies

• Philippe Kahn: First camera phone picture in 1997.
• Impact of Social Media: Increased demand for selfies due to the need for online presence.

Cultural Shift

• Hero Mix: Popularized selfies in Japan in the 1990s.
• Front-Facing Cameras: iPhone 4 (2010) marked a significant shift.

The Term 'Selfie'

• Nathan Hope: Earliest recorded usage in 2002 on Dr. Karl's self-serve science forum.
• Australian Influence: Known for creating hypocorisms like 'selfie'.

Modern Day Selfies

• Belfie: A selfie of one's butt.
• Selfie as a Social Tool: Less about memory, more about communication.

Conclusion

• Photography’s Role: Delaying the third death by preserving images.
• The Selfie Phenomenon: Became a cultural phenomenon in the fourth wave.
• Star Projector: New product from the Curiosity Box showing the night sky as seen from an exoplanet.