THE EMERGENCE OF PHOTO MANIPULATION
THE TERM ‘FAKE NEWS’ might have been popularized only very recently, but incidences of ‘fake news’ certainly aren’t a new thing. That brings us neatly to Hippolyte Bayard, another pioneer of photography in the 19th century. Bayard believed he was the father of photography, not Niépce, Daguerre, or Talbot. Frustrated by a perceived lack of credit for his work at the forefront of photography, Bayard created what could now be seen as the first example of clickbait—that’s right, way before YouTube was even a thing, people were seeking attention through false claims.
Bayard could be considered the first ‘influencer’, also creating one of the earliest ‘selfies’. Driven by the recognition the others had received, Bayard faked a photograph of his own suicide. In a grainy photo from 1840, Bayard photographed himself, partially clothed, lying against a
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