Vintage Celebrity Selfies Taken Long Before They Went Mainstream (19 Photos)
The word "selfie" only became part of our everyday vocabulary once smartphones ended up in everyone's pocket. But people were taking photos of themselves long before the digital age. The world's first selfie is widely considered to be a photograph taken by Robert Cornelius in Philadelphia back in 1839. Using an upgraded daguerreotype plate that reduced exposure time, Cornelius had to stand motionless for a mere five minutes. 
As photographic technology advanced, such endurance tests became unnecessary. Yet, until front-facing camera phones came along, the selfie remained a niche genre. That makes these vintage self-portraits of famous icons all the more fascinating—and arguably far more creative than today's routine snaps. 
Robert Cornelius's original selfie, now preserved in the U.S. Library of Congress. 
Stanley Kubrick on the set of The Shining. Jack Nicholson clearly assumed the camera was pointed at him, 1980. 
Rowan Atkinson, 1987. 
Marilyn Monroe with a friend, 1962. 
Frank Sinatra, 1930s. 
Stanley Kubrick once again, in what is perhaps his most iconic photograph, 1949. 
American astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon, 1966. 
Paul McCartney with his family, 1969. 
Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, 1992. 
George Harrison, 1966. 
John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy, 1954. 
Michael Jackson, 1996. 
Sophia Loren and legendary photographer Richard Avedon, 1960s. 
Madonna, 1982. 
American singer Stevie Nicks, 1970s. 
John Lennon, 1967. 
American photojournalist Terry Fincher, 1966. 
Jeff Bridges and Sam Elliott on the set of The Big Lebowski, 1998.
