Oldest Photo of Liverpool?

[DaisyChains]

Does anybody know what the oldest photograph of Liverpool is?

I guess it would be hard to determine, but I was wondering if anybody has any inklings?

[Kev]

What a great idea for a thread

This one of the Florrie is from 1890.

[DaisyChains]

That's a brilliant photo.

I wonder if anybody will be able to find an older photo?

[shoney]

i've got this one, it's listed as princes boulevard, don't know whereabouts in liverpool that is but it looks a lot like princes avenue in toxteth, no idea of the age

[Chris48]

This is from 1858. Georges Dock gate.

[Chris48]

Old Lime street with the Horse drawn Trams circa 1890s.

[Cadfael]

The 'photograph of Joseph Williamson is considered by some to be a fake when taken in 1840. If it was real, it would probably have been one of the earliest ever pictures taken.

http://www.williamsontunnels.com/story/port2.htm

[Kev]

I don't have anything older than 1890, before that date they are all illustrations.

[ChrisGeorge]

This is from 1858. Georges Dock gate.

Thanks, Chris. The dawn of the age of photography was in the 1840's so if there is such an early photograph of a Liverpool city scene, the earliest possible photograph would have to date from then.

William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877) is viewed by many as the "Father of Modern Photography" because of his invention of the positive/negative process in 1840. See the BBC Open University page on "History of Photography."

My inclination though is to think that the earliest photographs of the city were taken in the 1850's such as the one you have posted, though there were undoubtedly studio photographs of Liverpudlians in the 1840's. The Liverpool Photographic Society was founded in 1853 with well-known professional photographer Francis Frith as one its founding members.

Chris

[gregs dad]

http://www.tramway.co.uk/smx/postcar...ords=liverpool

Some very old photos of liverpool on here

[Chris48]

Here is another. Lord Street circa 1865. Note the Top hats.

[Kev]

The attachment is from 1860 and is supposed to be the earliest image of Liverpool, produced on stone.

[ChrisGeorge]

http://www.tramway.co.uk/smx/postcar...ords=liverpool

Some very old photos of liverpool on here

Thanks, gregs dad.

The earliest pictorial postcards date from around 1890-1900 first with the undivided back postcard, then the divided back postcard, with address to right and area for writing to left as we know it today. So some 40-50 years after the earliest Liverpool photograph we are looking for.

Chris

[Chris48]

Nah too late. Electric trams - after 1898.

[Kev]

My archive catalog must have some errors in it.