Paris Finally Marks the Spot of the First Photo of People

The First Candid

In 1838, Louis Daguerre captured a shoeshine boy and his client on the Boulevard du Temple—the first photograph to show human beings. Nearly two centuries later, producer Maximilien Van Aertryck and colleagues spent eighteen months pinpointing the exact spot, using archival maps, drones, and 3-D scans. On October 15th, Paris will unveil a plaque there, honoring the accidental sitters who held still long enough to be recorded.