The first photographs ever taken of a pope were of Pope Pius IX, who reigned from 1846 to 1878. This was a significant historical moment, as previous popes had only been depicted in paintings or engravings!
Modern photography got its start in early-19th-century Europe. The first methods were novel and sometimes controversial. They required exposure times of hours–or even days! However, within a few decades, inventors had that time down to minutes and seconds.
Right in the middle of the 19th century was the long reign of Pope Bl. Pius IX. He had the longest papacy of any pope since Saint Peter (who is believed to have reigned for around 35 years or so).
As Pope, Blessed Pius IX did some amazing things, including declaring the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception to be dogmatic and convening the First Vatican Council. He also marked a significant historical first: he was the first pope ever to be photographed!
This wasn’t entirely without some controversy, though.
The Church had been a patron of the world’s best painting for centuries – it was a known art form and long accepted by the Church. Should the Pope and the Catholic Church in general, embrace this strange new medium? It wasn’t immediately obvious that it should.
At least one of Bl. Pius IX’s cardinals, Cardinal Giuseppe Pecci, thought painting was a “far superior and more benevolent presentation of a human being” than photography, and for most of his life refused to be photographed (though at least one photo was taken of him eventually). Bl. Pius IX, however, accepted the new medium and allowed himself to be photographed on many occasions.
It’s not clear exactly when these photos were taken, or by whom. And remember, the photos were taken with early cameras, explaining their strange appearance.
At least six early photographs of Pius IX are known to exist.
Here are six of the earliest photos ever taken of a pontiff:
The first photos of Pope Pius IX represent both a technological milestone and a moment of cultural adaptation for the papacy, reflecting the Church’s gradual embrace of new forms of communication!
Now, we’re used to seeing photos of the Holy Father. As a rule, I like to say a prayer for the Pope when a photo comes across my newsfeed or email.