Scotland’s first ‘selfie’ taken in 1907, the Scottish boy who took a selfie before it was cool

A picture of what is believed to be Scotland’s first ‘selfie’ has been uncovered by archivists at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS).

The picture, taken in 1907 in the Corsee area of Nairn, Inverness-shire, came long before the birth of the internet. The word “selfie” was unheard of then but this shot proves that even in the early 20th century Scots were taking self-portrait pictures with hand-held cameras. The image was found amongst a number of family holiday snaps from an album owned by a woman called Isabel Asher.

In the centre of the picture is a mirror wedged between two rocks and staring back into it with his camera is a young boy, surrounded by clear skies behind him and branches from nearby trees.

The earliest known 'selfie' in Scotland. Picture: HeMedia.

A Mystery Subject

The RCAHMS have no record of who Isabel Asher was and the identity of the well-dressed boy is a complete mystery. It can be assumed from the boy’s parted hair, quality suit and shirt-tie combination that he was from an upper-middle class pre-war family, but RCAHMS public engagement manager, Philip Graham, is desperate for more information about him.

He said: “We think this is probably the earliest selfie in Scotland.

“It dates from 1907 and was taken from the ‘Isabel Asher Album’ which also contains a number of sketches and amateur snapshots.

“Some of them are from holidays in the Ross and Cromarty regions and so it could be that this is one of Isabel’s relatives.

“Personally, I think he will be part of the Asher family, but we’re not sure what his Christian name is.

“It may be that someone out there might recognise the photograph or the family name, and be able to provide us with more information to add to our archive.”

The amateur snap was discovered among the five million historical items that the RCAHMS possesses relating to Scotland’s archaeology, buildings, industry and society.

This is considered the 'first selfie' taken in Scotland by camera (1907).

History of the ‘Selfie’

While it may seem that selfies are a new phenomenon, many argue that the concept is actually far older. The debut of the portable Kodak Brownie box camera in February 1900 is believed to have initiated the desire to use self-portraiture as a technique, although only the middle and upper classes could afford these devices.

Philip said: “People today would certainly appear to be more interested in selfies than ever before.

“You only have to look at the media controversy over the recent photographs of President Obama, David Cameron and the Danish Prime Minister at Nelson Mandela’s funeral - and of course, Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year is ‘selfie’.

“But what we have shown through our archives is that selfies have existed a long time.

“The young boy in Nairn probably used a family camera to take his picture, which would have been the new technology of the time.

“This is the earliest selfie we know of in Scotland and it will be fascinating to see if anyone out there can find a selfie to beat this one.”