“Selfies” — the contemporary, social media hobby of taking arm-length self-portraits, are simply a more portable and accessible act of photography that has been practiced since the invention of the daguerreotype in the 19th century. This photo gallery includes both old and contemporary examples of the art of the selfie, including Journal-World reader-submitted selfies.

photo by: Robert Cornelius

In what is considered one of the earliest self-portraits, Robert Cornelius creates a daguerreotype of a head-and-shoulders photo of himself, facing front, with arms crossed in 1839. Public Domain

photo by: Anastasia Nikolaevna

Considered one of the first selfies taken by a teenager, this photo was snapped by Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last sovereign of Imperial Russia. She was 13 in 1914 when she took the photo and sent it to a friend with a note. "I took this picture of myself looking at the mirror. It was very hard as my hands were trembling." Exposure times would have been several seconds long. At lower left is possibly another child, blurred by movement during the exposure. Courtesy of Wikipedia

Self portrait by Edwardian woman in 1900 with a Kodak Brownie box camera. Public domain.

photo by: Marjory Collins/Library of Congress

Marjory Collins/Library of Congress. Marjory Collins takes a self-portrait reflected in a mirror at a public sale in Nov. 1942. Collins worked for the U.S. Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information as a photographer.

photo by: Bradley Cooper

Ellen DeGeneres posted a group selfie from the Oscars last Sunday. The photo raised some interesting issues of ownership on selfies. DeGeneres gave the image to Associated Press to use, but it was Bradley Cooper who actually took the photograph, with DeGeneres's phone. Technically, and by current understanding of the law, the person who snaps the photograph actually holds the copyright.

photo by: Colin Powell

General Colin Powell posted this tweet in response to Ellen DeGeneres's tweet from Oscar night that went viral with more than 3.3 million re-tweets.

Self-portrait of a female Celebes crested macaque in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, who had picked up a photographer's camera and photographed herself.

photo by: Aki Hoshide

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide, Expedition 32 flight engineer, uses a digital still camera to expose a photo of his helmet visor during the mission's third session of extravehicular activity (EVA). The bright sun is visible at left.Aki Hoshide/NASA Photo.

photo by: John English

John English Photo. It's me in the back seat of a WWII T-6 Texan trainer airplane. The trick is to not look like you're holding a camera, although it's at a really awkward, backwards angle. And the strap needs to be wrapped around your arm so there's no way the camera can blow out of the open canopy.

photo by: Marc Rapp

Marc Rapp Photo.Taken with Canon g12 on tripod. Image reversed to make it look like it was taken in a mirror.

photo by: Levi Everson

Levi Everson Photo

photo by: Allison Inge

Allison Inge Photo

photo by: Allison Inge

Allison Inge Photo

photo by: Allison Inge

Allison Inge Photo

photo by: Allison Inge

Allison Inge Photo

photo by: Allison Inge

Allison Inge Photo

photo by: Christina Foster

Christina Foster Photo

photo by: Matt Ritscher

Matt Ritscher Photo."I wanted to create a portrait that was unique...that is out of the norm. So I jumped.".

photo by: Mike Yoder

Incorporating my shadow, ripples on the surface of a pond and my hand at the edge of the frame, I had fun making a self-portrait using various shades of light and layers.