Photographic Self-portraits have existed in a less persistent form roughly since the debut of the portable Kodak Brownie box camera in 1900.The method was usually by mirror and stabilizing the camera either on a nearby object or on a tripod while framing via a viewfinder at the top of the box.

From the grim-faced Edwardian woman in her patterned dress to the unsmiling visage of photographer Robert Cornelius, the world's oldest selfies are a surprisingly joyless bunch....