You might think selfies are a modern concept which came around along with the smartphones. But selfies, a form of art, were actually used for over 100 years by photographs. And it gets even better! They were actually much cooler than our bathroom selfies!
Hannah Maynard (1834 – 1918) was a Canadian photographer known for her eccentric self-portraits that depicted multiples of her in the same self-portrait. Like in the above photograph, there are five of her in the same frame! The trick is the utilization of multiple exposures. Maynard seemed to have exceeded the abilities of the cameras available during that time.
In the above photograph which is called Tea Time, two of her are depicted, dressed in identical Victorian clothing and having tea. Also, there seems to be a painting of her too on the wall, pouring tea over one of the seated Hannahs. Seems she had a mischievous side apart from her brilliant knowledge on multiple exposures!
Her experimental selfies involving photomontage and multiple exposures were super-fashionable during her time. They were often printed in poster size or even featured in cabinet cards. And let`s keep in mind that we are talking of Victorian times when having such a profession was quite unusual for a woman.
Maynard had her own photography studio in 1860s and she specialized in making “cartes de visite” (small photographic portraits of people) which were common to be exchanged during birthdays or other celebrities. During her work, she had really mastered the lighting technique of photography, thus knowing how to work best with light to emphasize factal features. While the background of her photographs was usually very carefully set, with theatrical details and fashionable props.
Hannah Mayard was quite famous during her time, but to this day her best-known works are those of herself: the good old selfies.
Sources: Times Colonist, Unbelievable facts
