Did you know that some of the earliest photos date back to the late 1830s and early 1940s?  Here are some of our favorites from these rare photos...

Mozart's Wife, 1840:  Constanze Mozart, wife of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, at 78 years of age, pictured front left in black just years before her death. Bavarian composer Max Keller is seated center front, and to his left is his wife Josefa. From left to right in rear: family cook, Philip Lattner (Keller's brother-in-law), Keller's daughters Luise and Josefa. The print is a 19th-century copy of the original daguerrotype photograph taken October 1840, at the home of composer Max Keller.  There's so much history here!

Playing Chess, 1841

Early photographers wanted to show scenes of people doing things others would understand rather than just simple portraits.  This 1841 photo by Nicolaas Henneman captures the first known photo of two people playing chess.  Photos like this were meant to convey that you, too, could have your photo taken (and that it wasn't just for the rich!)

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40 Rare Photos from the 1840s