File:Dr John W Draper.jpg

English: This image has been known for thirty years but has received little attention. It should be considered one the most iconic in photographic history. It is one of the earliest surviving daguerreotypes made in America. Made in the fall of 1839 at NYU most likely by Samuel Morse. It is of Dr John William Draper. He sits beside a plant experiment, pen in hand denoting his scientific authorship. A few years later he would publish his large work on plant physiology. This image of Draper was made before the famous image of his Sister Dorthy Catherine Draper, long considered the worlds first photographic portrait of a human face. It could easily be the earliest surviving photograph of a human being and most fitting that it would be of Dr Draper himself. This version is restored from the original daguerreotype with scratches and imperfections removed. The original is Draperhun.jpg.