The World’s Oldest Surviving Aerial Photo: Boston, Circa 1860
Imagine soaring over Boston in 1860, witnessing the city from a breathtaking 2,000 feet above. This extraordinary perspective was captured in the world’s oldest surviving aerial photograph, a remarkable image that offers a glimpse into the past.
The Dawn of Aerial Photography
The invention of hot air balloons and photography paved the way for the birth of aerial photography. In 1783, the first untethered hot air balloon flight took to the skies, carrying humans aloft for the first time. Decades later, in 1826, the first photograph was taken, capturing a view from a window.
It wasn’t until 1858 that these two groundbreaking innovations converged, resulting in the first aerial photograph. Gaspard-Félix Tournachon captured an image of Paris from above, forever etching this moment in history. Unfortunately, that image has been lost to time.
Boston’s Aerial Portrait
Fortunately, the next best thing to that pioneering image resides in the esteemed New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1860, James Wallace Black took an aerial photograph of Boston from 2,000 feet, capturing a cityscape that was vastly different from the one we know today.
Black, known for his photographs of Boston after the devastating fire of 1872, began his solo career with a series of aerial photographs taken from Samuel King’s hot-air balloon, the “Queen of the Air.”
A City from a New Perspective
Black’s photograph of Boston, titled “Boston, as the Eagle and the Wild Goose See It,” revealed a city seen from an entirely new perspective. Oliver Wendell Holmes, a renowned poet and professor at Harvard, described the image as “a very different object from the same place as the solid citizen looks up at its eaves and chimneys.”
Holmes’s words aptly capture the transformative nature of aerial photography. It allowed people to see their surroundings in a way that had never been possible before, offering a bird’s-eye view of familiar landmarks and revealing hidden details.
Landmarks and Streets
In Black’s photograph, the Old South Church and Trinity Church stand out as unmistakable landmarks. Washington Street cuts across the image as a narrow cleft, while Milk Street meanders like an old cowpath, reflecting its origins as a path used by cattle.
The intricate details of the city are astonishingly clear, with windows, chimneys, and skylights dotting the rooftops. The image is a testament to Black’s skill as a photographer and to the remarkable technological advancements of his time.
A Window into the Past
While Boston had already been established for 230 years at the time of Black’s photograph, the city was still evolving. The image provides a glimpse into a bygone era, offering a tangible connection to the past.
Black’s aerial photograph is not merely a historical document; it is a work of art that captures the beauty and dynamism of a growing city. It serves as a reminder of the transformative power of innovation and the enduring legacy of those who dared to look at the world from a different perspective.
