Bogota’s First Photograph, Taken in 1842, Heads to Paris Auction for US$89,000
A small metal plate measuring just 19.5 by 14.5 centimeters preserves an extraordinary image from Colombia’s history: a street in Bogota in 1842, when the capital was part of what was then known as the Republic of New Granada. Considered the oldest surviving photograph of the city, the piece will go under the hammer at […]
A historic photograph capturing Bogota in 1842 will be auctioned in Paris for a US$89,000 bid. The image, dated 1842, shows Observatory Street, a mostly deserted scene with Andes mountains in the background. Jean-Baptiste Louis Gros, a French diplomat and photographer, captured the image using the daguerreotype technique. This was the first known photograph of Bogota and represents an early visual record of the city during Colombia's early 19th century.
The photograph is part of a collection of 363 historical 19th and 20th century images belonging to French journalist Roger Therond. The auction will take place at Christie's in Paris on November 14, 2026.
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