A few iconic self-portrait photographs
Robert Cornelius: Not exactly a photographer, but Robert Cornelius was an amateur chemist responsible for the first self-portrait photograph in history, dated in 1839. Arie Eric De Jong adds that it took a minute for Cornelius to sit on a chair for the photograph. He had to even run after removing the lens cap into the frame where he posed.
Vivian Maier: Largely unknown until after she died in 2009, Vivian Maier built her catalog of 150,00o photos, most of which are self-portraits, as a silent observer of the city. Arie Eric De Jong muses that Maier lived a life, working as a nanny while doing photography on the side. It was said that Vivian Maier’s reputation began in 2007 when someone stumbled upon a collection of negatives of her work, numbering 100,000.
Trish Morrisey: Trish Morrisey best describes her work as, admittedly, not self-portraits per se. She uses herself as a protagonist in her photographs under specific themes which explore family relationships and relationships among strangers. Arie Eric De Jong observes that Morrisey is somewhat of a performance artist who uses photography as a medium of her art.
Cindy Sherman: Also a star in her own photographs, Cindy Sherman dons outfits portraying different personalities, says Arie Eric De Jong. She is also an influential figure in contemporary art with a record auction of her photograph Untitled #96, which was sold at Christie’s for $3.89 million, the most expensive photograph at the time. Like Morrisey, Sherman views her work as not a self-portrait but uses herself as a model.
