Petrarchive – List of photographs considered the most important

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No.13411 Anonymous 2026-10-17 13:19:40
List of photographs considered the most important
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Extremely interesting Wikipedia article. Tripped upon it because I saw that apparently they have found the place where that famous Daugerreotype with the shoeshining boy was taken.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_photographs_considered_the_most_important

I didn't know, for example, that the famous photo of the Wright Flyer (picrel) was actually truly the very first powered flight. Must be one of the earliest truly momentous and ephemeral historic moments to be photographed.

The photographs from the Crimean and US CiviL War are also remarkable. Not conflicts that you usually imagine as being captured through the medium of photography.

What are your favourites?
No.13412 Anonymous>>13413 2026-10-17 13:32:28
I visited this page recently too. Hard to pick a favorite as they all seem to brim with astonishing energy. The one of Isembard Kingdom Brunel in front of the chains is definitely one of my faves though. By the way, is there a Bong around to explain why one of the most important Brits out there has such a... weird name?

Irritating how as you go down the list the photos are increasingly limited by copyright. I was looking at one of the Wiki pages for a Holocaust photo (which I believe is on this list) and it had a section talking about how someone bought the rights to it and now charges for its use. How obscene!
No.13413 Anonymous>>13414 2026-10-17 13:39:33
>>13412
Isambard Kingdom Brunel's father was another engineer called Marc Brunel and I believe he was half-French? He was the one who built the first tunnel under the thames, which was a big sensation in its day and gets a few unexpected shout outs in Moby Dick. I don't think that answers your question though.

In fairness a lot of Victorians had quite weird names.
No.13414 Anonymous 2026-10-17 13:42:30
>>13413
Oh I know who he is in the framework of engineering history. I just hate how I have to look up his name each time because it's so weird and I can never remember it. I am a Weird Name Appreciator, though, don't get me wrong. Victorians, Colonial-era Puritans and Quakers, Nigerians, I always acknowledge the novelty they bring to the English language
No.13415 Anonymous 2026-10-17 13:49:25
Isn't it crazy how the photographs up until WWII all have this mystic quality to them, then a brief formal period of stern photojournalism but okay still tolerable, and now it (that quality) seems to have completely disappeared? I won't even mention phones; it happened before that, but it's hard not to bring out that reliable punching bag.
No.13420 Anonymous>>13421 2026-10-17 18:22:15
wtf. i played life is strange for the first time today and the main player is a photography student. so for the first time in my life, i hear about Daugerreotype in this game and now you make a post about it? insane synchronicity
No.13421 Anonymous 2026-10-17 18:24:52
>>13420
baader-meinhof effect. but come on, you really haven't heard of the word daugerrotype before today and you learnt it from a video game? you should read more