Antedating of "self-portrait"

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Robert Cornelius’ self-portrait: The First Ever “Selfie” (1839)
http://publicdomainreview.org/2013/11/19/robert-cornelius-self-portrait-the-first-ever-selfie-1839/

[Begin excerpt]
Today the Oxford Dictionaries announced their word of the year for
2013 to be “selfie”, which they define as “a photograph that one has
taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and
uploaded to a social media website.” Although it’s current rampant
incarnation is quite recent, the “selfie” is far from being a strictly
modern phenomenon. Indeed, the photographic self-portrait is
surprisingly common in the very early days of photography exploration
and invention, when it was often more convenient for the experimenting
photographer to act as model as well. In fact, the picture considered
by many to be the first photographic portrait ever taken was a
“selfie”. The image in question was taken in 1839 by an amateur
chemist and photography enthusiast from Philadelphia named Robert
Cornelius.
[End excerpt]


Hat tip @KatharineTace and @appendixjournal
https://twitter.com/appendixjournal/status/403275205121810433/photo/1

Garson

On Tue, Nov 19, 2013 at 9:11 AM, Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Stephen Goranson <goranson at DUKE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Antedating of "self-portrait"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 1815, as a self-description
>
> "For a catalogue of private virtues, if we may believe you, sir Harry...though it must be admitted you are rather contradictory in your self-portrait."
> The bachelor's journal: inscribed (without permission) to the girls of England
>
> Vol. 1. pp. 94-95, London: Printed at the Minerva-Press for A. K. Newman and Co., 1815. 252 pp. [NCCO]
>
> Stephen Goranson
> http://people.duke.edu/~goranson/
>
> ________________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Hugo [hugovk at GMAIL.COM]
> Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2013 8:35 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: [ADS-L] Antedating of "self-portrait"
>
> "self-portrait" (OED: 1831)
>
> Seeing as "selfie" is Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year and I already provided the earliest 2002 quotation, let's look at "self-portrait". :)
>
> ---
>
> November 1821, letter in The Country constitutional guardian and literary magazine, Vol. 1, published 1822, "Sir Robert Wilson, And His Correspondence", page 44:
>
> [Begin]
> Now, under such circumstances, a reasonable man, and a man so conscious of his innocence, so proud of his reputation, and such a good self-portrait painter too, would surely have referred the cause of grievance to the source from whence it arose--but no : " To be backed by the electors of Southwark was a good bolster."
> [End]
>
> Also! See the same page!!!! for extreme use of exclamation marks!!!!!!!
>
> http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=RYAEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA44&dq=%22self-portrait%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_VaLUuHPCaqC4AT-14GgBQ&redir_esc=y#v=thumbnail&q=%22self-portrait%22%20&f=false
>
> ---
>
> Hugo
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org