Early days of photography

[Tony Rackstraw]

From: Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7782, 27 June 1904, Page 7 - National Library of New Zealand: Miss Dorothy Catherine Draper, who died the other day, aged 95, was said to be the first person who ever sat for a photograph. She posed for her brother, Dr. John W. Draper, who had discovered a process by which a daguerreotype could be made in a few minutes. The photograph was made in 1839, when Miss Draper was known in New York society as "Dolly" Draper, and the picture, with the statement that the subject had to pose "only about six minutes," created a sensation in artistic circles. The original picture became the possession of Lord Herschell, whose heirs still retain it.