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

This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its authentic location you possibly can go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.kunc.org/podcast/inthenoco/2026-01-09/this-image-is-the-oldest-known-photograph-taken-in-colorado-the-story-behind-it-is-fascinating
and if you wish to take away this text from our website please contact us


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.

A daguerreotype portrait of Solomon Nunes Carvalho

S.N. Carvalho

/

Courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

A daguerreotype portrait of Solomon Nunes Carvalho

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.

An image to commemorate Colorado's 150th statehood anniversary shows a version of the red, white, blue, and yellow Colorado state flag, with mountain peaks to the right and some green pine trees at the bottom. The logo reads "CO 150" in red lettering.

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.


This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its authentic location you possibly can go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.kunc.org/podcast/inthenoco/2026-01-09/this-image-is-the-oldest-known-photograph-taken-in-colorado-the-story-behind-it-is-fascinating
and if you wish to take away this text from our website please contact us