The technology of photography was invented in fits and starts in the early 1800s. Looking at the earliest photos across the United States offers a sense of where the country was at the time, what the landscape looked like, and what its people looked like.
But it’s not always easy to tell what the oldest photo is from each state. The records don’t always exist, the photos seldom survive, pictures appear in unorganized collections, and not all of them are easily accessible. For this list, we relied largely on the photo archives of the Library of Congress and a few other sources.
The photos are often portraits of important people and, for the more western states, often landscapes and construction scenes. Each one has a story. Who took it? Why there?
Of course, the United States didn’t always include 50 of them. In 1850, for example, right around the boom of photography in the country, we had only 31 states and four territories. Nonetheless, all 50 states are included here – plus the District of Columbia.
Alabama: A group portrait of the children of a successful local businessman.
The photo "Sons of Edmund King of Montevallo, Alabama: William Woodson King, E. Thomas King, Peyton King, and Nathaniel King" dates back to around 1850, according to the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
Alaska: A group of Native Americans at Fort Tongass.
One of the earliest photographs in Alaska was taken by the legendary artist Eadweard Muybridge on a trip to Fort Tongass in 1868, decades before the territory became a part of the United States. He photographed a group of Tlingit People living in the area.
Arizona: Much of the country first saw Arizona through geological expeditions.
Taken by a New Yorker named Timothy H. O'Sullivan, this photo shows the beginning of an expedition through Colorado from Camp Mojave, Arizona.
Arkansas: The Sultana was photographed shortly before it exploded, killing more people than the Titanic.
One of the most consequential events in the aftermath of the Civil War was the explosion of the steamboat Sultana in 1865, which killed more than 1,800 people, the worst maritime disaster in US history. This photograph was taken just a day earlier, on April 26, as it set sail with Union soldiers just released from prison camps onboard.
California: A mysterious landscape shot of Los Angeles Plaza.
It was taken sometime in the 1860s, but its photographer remains a mystery.
Colorado: Timothy O'Sullivan, again, is responsible for a lot of the old photos we have of the west.
Among his oldest batch, taken in 1871, is this gorgeous photo looking up the Colorado River.
Connecticut: The first American summer camp.
The Gunnery Camp - now a boarding school near Litchfield Hills - was the first American summer camp. A group photo of its attendees were taken in 1861.
Delaware: A lot of old pictures are of fancy politicians. Here's Benjamin Briggs.
Benjamin Thomas Biggs was first a member of the Whig Party and later, as a Democrat, became the state's 46th governor. This photo was taken in 1860.
District of Columbia: The oldest military monument.
The oldest photo taken in Washington, DC was taken in around 1850, of the Tripoli Monument. It was carved in Italy in 1806 to honor United States Navy veterans in the First Barbary War and first installed in Washington Navy Yard in 1808. In 1831, it was moved to be in front of the Capitol building, facing the National Mall. A few years after this photo was taken, in 1960, it moved to the United States Naval Academy campus in Annapolis, Maryland.
Florida: The fort in St. Augustine during the Civil War.
Florida joined the Confederacy during the Civil War, but was conquered quickly. This photo from the Library of Congress archives, taken in around 1862 by a gentleman from the Union by the name of Sam Cooley.
Georgia: A portrait of the future Secretary of Treasury.
Cobb was an important political figure in Georgia's history. This photo was taken in 1844, when he was a congressional representative from the state. He later became governor and US Secretary of the Treasury.
Hawaii: The kingdom's last princess.
A few photographers from the United States mainland visited Hawaii in the early 1880s, when it was not yet a state and still an independent kingdom. But some of the most striking photos we have came in the early 1890s, like this 1893 portrait of Princess Kaiulani taken by Elmer Chickering. A coup backed by the United States overthrew the monarchial government, and the state was annexed a few years later.
Idaho: A tributary of one of the country's mightiest rivers.
Snake River flows from the Pacific Northwest through several states, and this circa-1860 photo captures the gentle beauty of one of its tributaries.
Illinois: Abraham Lincoln's political rival.
Stephen Douglas was photographed two years before Lincoln, in 1844.
Indiana: A group of Confederate prisoners.
Photographed sometime during the Civil War, Eben P. Cutter captured a photo of prisoners in Camp Morton, Indianapolis.
Iowa: A senator suspected of having Confederate sympathies.
George Wallace Jones, photographed here in 1844, was briefly jailed during the Civil War on suspicion of supporting the Confederacy. He owned slaves.
Kansas: A long-service Kansas senator
Samuel C. Pomeroy served in the Senate between 1861 and 1873. The photo was taken around the time when he was inaugurated.
Kentucky: A messed up portrait of Henry Clay.
Clay was one of the nation's most important politicians, brokering compromises on the issues of slavery and states' rights in the decades leading up to the Civil War. This photo was taken around the time of his death in 1852. Someone seems to have wanted to rub his face out.
Louisiana: The first president of the University of Louisiana.
Francis Lister Hawks became the first president of the University of Louisiana, now known as Tulane University, in 1847, around when when this portrait was taken. Before that, he was a famous preacher who became embroiled in sex scandals.
Maine: A bunch of firefighters.
It's really hard to see within the frames and with the fading of age, but there's the Arundel Engine Co. in Kennebunkport in 1850.
Maryland: A monument to a battle from the war of 1812.
Here we go. More war monuments. This one, sitting in Baltimore, commemorates the Battle of North Point. The photo was published in 1946.
Massachusetts: The biggest advocate for public education.
A lot of the oldest photos we have, it turns out, were taken around the year 1844 and are of politicians. Horace Mann may be the best of the bunch. He was one of public education's greatest proponents.
Michigan: A forgotten minor politician.
Thomas Fitzgerald had a few positions in state politics before he was appointed to fill a vacated Senate seat in 1848, for less than a year. This photo was taken in 1844.
Minnesota: A Sioux woman in 1862.
Azayamankawin, a Mdewakanton Dakota woman, was known as "Old Betsey" or "Old Bets" in her old age.
Mississippi: A politician who delayed the Civil War.
As senator and governor, Henry S. Foote fought for compromises the kept the Union together - at least for a few years. He was photographed by the famed photographer Mathew Brady in around 1844.
Missouri: A mysterious St. Louis society lady.
It's not clear who this elderly woman is. The photo is titled "View of the Iron Mountain" in the Library of Congress records.
Montana: The state's landscape fascinated early photographers.
You can tell from this 1860 photo of Bird Tail Rock.
Nebraska: A Union soldier and his family.
Nebraska wasn't a state until 1867, but it still contributed to the Union war effort. A photo was taken of this unidentified soldier, his wife, and his son in around 1861.
Nevada: William Morris Stewart was obsessed with silver.
The California attorney general and later Nevada senator, photographed in 1860, was known for his advocacy of the silver standard instead of the gold standard.
New Hampshire: One of the state's most consequential politicians.
Photographed here in 1844, Levi Woodbury was a Supreme Court justice, Senator, Governor, Secretary of the Treasury, and Secretary of the Navy.
New Jersey: A two-term senator.
William L. Dayton served between 1842 and 1851 and was photographed here sometime during that period.
New Mexico: Fort Marcy was built because of a border dispute with Texas.
No blood was shed during the tiff, but the fort was later commandeered by the confederacy and photographed here in 1868.
New York: A peaceful glen on the Hudson River.
The scene was shot by William England and later colorized.
North Carolina: A Civil War soldier and his sword.
Soldiers were still using swords during the Civil War even though guns existed, because they were still used for a variety of reasons, especially in close combat. This is Captain William F. McRorie, photographed in 1861, with his sword.
North Dakota: A Native American chieftain.
Iron Bear was the chief of the Arikara tribe on what's now the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. He was photographed in 1868, two years before the reserve was established.
Ohio: The ninth president of the United States.
William Henry Harrison's photo was taken here in 1840, a year before he ascended to the presidency. He's most famous for dying 31 days into his term, accomplishing nothing.
Oklahoma: An important Cherokee chief.
John Ross was also known as Guwisguwi, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1828 to 1866. He founded the original settlement of Chattanooga, Tennessee, from which the Cherokee were expelled to Oklahoma in the 1830. He's photographed here in 1850.
Oregon: Benjamin Harding was a politician in Oregon before it was a state.
During its statehood, he served a term in the Senate. He was photographed here in 1855.
Pennsylvania: The corner of 2nd and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia.
The first batch of photos we have from Pennsylvania, taken in 1850, was of a bunch of old buildings taken by Frederick De Bourg Richards in Philadelphia. This corner looks pretty similar today.
Rhode Island: A reality corrupt senator.
James F. Simmons, photographed in 1859, was nearly expelled from the Senate because of his corruption scandals.
South Carolina: Some guy holding a newspaper.
No one's really sure who this guy is, but it's speculated to be Franz Melchers, owner of the newspaper, the Charleston Zeitung, photographed here in 1853.
South Dakota: The Chapel of the Merciful Saviour, destroyed in a fire 14 years later.
It was photographed here in 1870 by Stanley J. Morrow.
Tennessee: Children at Point Lookout.
Taken in around 1860, this photo by Robert Linn shows a few children on Lookout Mountain.
Texas: A Texas Ranger, of course.
Photographed here in 1846, Samuel Hamilton Walker also held several military positions.
Utah: None other than Salt Lake.
Utah's most famous landmark, with a train on a brand-new train track in the foreground, is photographed here from Monument Point by Alfred Hart in around 1865.
Vermont: A photo of the Arms of the State of Vermont.
They didn't have scanners back then.
Virginia: A group of college students with silly hats.
According to the Library of Congress caption, they're "probably members of The Ranters," a singing club that were known for pulling pranks. They attended Bethany College and were photographed in 1850 or 1851.
Washington: A bird's-eye view of a fort.
These cabins were part of Fort Colville, where members of the boundary commission served. The picture was taken in around 1858.
West Virginia: The site of a major armed slave revolt.
Harper's Ferry is known as the site of John Brown's raid and leadership of a slave revolt that triggered the Civil War. The hill dominating the town is photographed here in 1859, the same year as the raid.
Wisconsin: A Methodist missionary to Liberia.
B.R. Wilson was photographed here in 1840.
WYOMING: A trench carved into Bitter Creek.
If you look closely, you can see men working on it. This was photographed by Andrew Russell in around 1870.