'World's first selfie' taken in Leeds is recreated for Museum Selfie Day

Chris Sharp, Leeds Museums and Galleries assistant community curator recreates what is thought to be one of the worlds oldest selfies, to mark Museum Selfie Day.

Chris Sharp, Leeds Museums and Galleries assistant community curator donned traditional top hat to mock up the eye-catching original taken at Kirkstall Abbey in 1883 by Leeds-born astronomer and engineer Washington Teasdale.

New exhibition in Leeds unveils the city's first ever selfie

Museum Selfie Day is a worldwide event to promote awareness of the collections stored in museums by encouraging the public to visit, take a 'selfie' and post on social media with the hashtag #museumselfie.

The photo taken by Leeds-born astronomer and engineer Washington Teasdale in the grounds of Kirkstall Abbey in 1883 - believed to be one of the world's first selfies.

Pioneering Leeds inventor Teasdale took what is believed to be one of the oldest examples of a selfie - a feat he could only accomplish because of the exceptionally long exposure time on cameras of his era.

Chris said: “Washington Teasdale was a remarkable person with a truly incredible mind and it was amazing to think that I was sitting in pretty much the same place, taking the same photo he did all those years ago.

“Museum Selfie Day is a really fun and imaginative way of showcasing Leeds alongside collections and venues from across the world. It’s also a real tribute to Teasdale and his extraordinary accomplishments that we’re still being inspired by his work more than 130 years later.”

A copy of Teasdale’s original photo is currently on display at Leeds Industrial Museum as part of Leeds to Innovation an exhibition celebrating the city’s best and brightest minds.

After working in India as a civil engineer on the railways in the 1850s, Teasdale came home to Leeds and chaired the Leeds Astronomical Society where he was instrumental in recruiting more female members. The society is still active today.

A member of the Naturalist Society he invented his own field microscope to study insects and pushed the boundaries of photography to capture detailed images of the moon through his telescope.

A respected expert on everything scientific, he lived in a house on Hyde Park Road which was filled with a scientific apparatus and works of art.

Leeds to Innovation is open now at Leeds Industrial Museum and features more incredible stories of local inventors and their creations.

For more details about the museum including admission times and charges, please visit: https://museumsandgalleries.leeds.gov.uk/leeds-industrial-museum/