The oldest known photograph of a person was captured in Paris, 1838 by Louis Daguerre, a French artist and photographer, who invented the daguerreotype process.

The oldest known photograph of a person was captured in Paris, 1838 by Louis Daguerre, a French artist and photographer, who invented the daguerreotype process.

The image was taken in Paris at the Boulevard du Temple, a busy street. Due to the long exposure time required for early photography-around 10 minutes-the bustling street appears empty, as most people moved too quickly to be captured. 

However, in the lower portion of the image, a man getting his shoes shined stood still long enough to be immortalized in history.

This man, along with the shoe shiner, became the first people ever photographed, making the daguerreotype a significant milestone in photographic history and the development of image technology.