This picture is the oldest recognized {photograph} taken in Colorado. The story behind it’s fascinating

Experts at History Colorado have been pondering of various methods to assist commemorate Colorado’s one hundred and fiftieth birthday this yr. One concept they pursued was to trace down the earliest recognized {photograph} of Colorado.

And what they uncovered is hanging: It’s a daguerreotype from 1853, taken throughout an expedition throughout the West greater than 20 years earlier than Colorado turned a state in 1876.
The picture depicts a Cheyenne village with two individuals dealing with the digital camera, close to what’s now Lamar, Colo.

For the curators at History Colorado, the picture additionally revealed the fascinating story of the photographer – a person named Solomon Nunes Carvalho, who traveled the West with a cumbersome digital camera and captured some of the earliest photos of the area.

S.N. Carvalho

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Courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Erin O’Toole spoke final fall with Sam Bock, History Colorado’s director of Interpretations and Publications, to be taught extra concerning the seek for the oldest picture and what it tells us about Colorado’s early historical past.

We’re listening again to that dialog at the moment as a part of every week of particular episodes kicking off Colorado’s sesquicentennial yr.

2026 marks a significant birthday for Colorado, which turned a state on Aug. 1, 1876. In honor of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary, KUNC News is exploring a number of the most fascinating – and generally ignored – tales from Colorado historical past.