REVEALED: Only surviving photographs of the 1854 solar eclipse as it stretched along the US are displayed at The Met in New York

  • First photos ever taken of a solar eclipse in the US were in 1854 and only seven images still exist 
  • The Met revealed the photos in anticipation of the upcoming solar eclipse
  • The photos were taken by brothers William and Frederick Langenheim 
  • The solar eclipse will happen Monday August 21 spanning the entire US
  • The last time this event was visible in the US was in 1979 

The only surviving seven photos from the 1854 solar eclipse emerged as Americans are gearing up for the celestial event that will span the entire nation on Monday August 21.

The 163-year-old photos were taken on May 26, 1854 by two photographers, the Langenheim brothers.

William and Frederick Langenheim took eight sequential photographs of the first total eclipse of the sun visible in North America since the invention of photography in 1939. The eighth missing photo is believed to be completely black, capturing the total eclipse.

Though the historic photographs were revealed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they won't be on display to the public. They will be kept safely in storage to protect their delicate nature.

The only surviving photos of the 1854 solar eclipse were revealed at the Metropolitan Museum in New York 

The only surviving photos of the 1854 solar eclipse were revealed at the Metropolitan Museum in New York 

The images were taken by brothers William and Frederick Langenheim

The images were taken by brothers William and Frederick Langenheim

The photographs were taken using very several of the smallest cameras available that capture the least amount of light 

The photographs were taken using very several of the smallest cameras that capture the least amount of light 

The images are notably small with four of them measuring 2 13/16 x 2 5/16 in and three at 1 1/4 x 1 in

The images are notably small with four of them measuring 2 13/16 x 2 5/16 in and three at 1 1/4 x 1 in

Frederick Langenheim (pictures) was born in Germany and immigrated to the US.
WIlliam (pictured) opened a daguerreotype studio in Philadelphia with his brother

Frederick Langenheim  (left) and brother William (right) were born in Germany and immigrated to the US. They opened a daguerreotype studio in Philadelphia

The brothers took eight images though only seven survived. The eighth is believed to be completely black, capturing the total eclipse

The brothers took eight images though only seven survived. The eighth is believed to be completely black, capturing the total eclipse

The images are known as daguerreotypes, taken by an early photographic process using an iodine-sensitized silvered plate and mercury vapor.

They are extremely small with four of them measuring at two inches. Three of the photos exceptionally so, with measurements less than an inch.

The photographs have a three-dimensional quality because of the effect produced by the daguerreotype. They are sitting on a mirror and reflected back to you, something 'quite magical', as Jeff Rosenheim, curator of the Met's department of photographs, described. 

To capture these incredible images, the Langenheim brothers had to use the smallest cameras available that required the least amount of light.

Rosenheim believes the brothers used eight wooden cameras of different sizes to capture the event. Because the eclipse occurred so quickly, it would have been nearly impossible to capture all of the stages using only one camera.

Rosenheim told Observer that he considers the brothers as 'among the first successful photographers in every capacity in the country'.  

The men were born in Germany and immigrated to the US. The Langenheim brothers were photographic pioneers, opening a daguerreotype studio in Philadelphia. 

And though these photos are more than 150 years old, the methods these men implemented are still used today in time-lapse photography.

The first ever photo of a solar eclipse is believed to have been taken in 1851 by Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski in Prussia 

The first ever photo of a solar eclipse is believed to have been taken in 1851 by Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski in Prussia 

The last time the US saw a total solar eclipse was in 1979

The last time the US saw a total solar eclipse was in 1979

Photo shows children gazing through paper as to not damage their eyes while looking at the solar eclipse in 1979

Photo shows children gazing through paper as to not damage their eyes while looking at the solar eclipse in 1979

Only a small silver edge of the sun is shown behind the moon in this 88 per cent eclipse from 1979

Only a small silver edge of the sun is shown behind the moon in this 88 per cent eclipse from 1979

Photographers are shown getting ready to capture the total eclipse in 1979

Photographers are shown getting ready to capture the total eclipse in 1979

Though these images were the first taken in the US, they weren't the first ever taken of a solar eclipse. The earliest known photo is believed to have been taken in Prussia by Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski on July 28, 1851 using the same method.

The last time the US saw the moon pass through the sun in a total eclipse was in 1979. 

38 years later the moon will block all or part of the sun for about three hours from beginning to end. The sun will be completely covered for about two minutes and 40seconds.

It's widely known not to look directly into the eclipse. But this year NASA has given the okay for stargazers to snap photos of the event with their smartphone, though the images may not be as crisp as the first ones taken more than 100 years ago.

The method that the Langenheim brothers used to capture the eclipse is widely utilized today in time lapse photography 

The method that the Langenheim brothers used to capture the eclipse is widely utilized today in time lapse photography 

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