Piscean Robert Cornelius took the first ever ‘selfie’ at the moment of his Saturn Return and with some spooky Uranus-North Node synergy humming away in the background. It is the first known deliberate photograph of a human.
From Saving The Work Of Robert Cornelius:
Cornelius was an innovator at the intersection of art and science, driven by the desire to bring photography to the forefront. The new medium caught on quickly in Philadelphia for commercial use, but it was still years away from being a reliably profitable venture.
After Cornelius opened his studio on Ranstad Street in 1841, he abandoned photography three years later, presumably broke and frustrated, and went back to working for his family’s lamp-making business.
On the back of his image, he wrote: “the first light picture ever taken.” Cornelius went on to become, apparently, a pillar of the local Presbyterian Church. It is kind of cool to imagine what he would make of today’s selfie culture but sad to think that his passion could not become his core work.
Aptly, for a pioneer, he was born with innovative Uranus conjunct his North Node in Scorpio. And, Uranus was also conjunct the North Node at the time that he essentially pioneered photography. His successful experiment was conducted in the backyard of his family’s lamp-making shop – Uranus and the North Node were conjunct but this time on his Pisces Sun.
But as I said, it was also his Saturn Return and it seemed that the times were far more supportive of ‘sensible’ saturnine pursuits than uranian agitation.
Still, despite his segue into something more trad, his self-created image has secured him an enduring fame and unassailable historic status. I’d to think that by some metaphysical vagary he knows this and occasionally hovers delightedly over people taking selfies with their mobile phone.
Pioneers get the arrows, settlers get the land.
So even the first portrait photographer only made it 3 years in the biz… makes me feel better about my 6. Photography is deceptively tough, expensive work.
One very attractive man with brains to boot? YES! Oops he’s dead. Just my luck, gone to god before he had a chance to meet me.
Well, Pegs, you’ve been rather contemplative of your age and stage in life, and all your capacities now, then, and with a watchful eye on the future. You can enjoy the earthly for these moments, and then – maybe he’s a lover waiting in the afters 😀 Maybe one of more and many exciting pioneers for the Lady Pegasus xx
Love the idea of a Sage Cap type meeting a Uranian Piscean who had a hidden first, in the aethereal energetic. Definite creation of more neutrons and protons et al !
He sooooo looks like he could be starring in any number of ethereal/supernatural based tv series.
At first glance, I thought this was Jeff Buckley.
It’s Bill Compton from True Blood!
lol
That hair. Dude looks like the love child of Lord Byron and Antonio Banderas.
He must of really thought about his style and looks before posing for the first ever selfie. Then sitting down for 15minutes without moving for the shot to be taken. I’m going for Leo Rising.
Agree! That’s some serious hair and yes re Leo rising. Fascinating!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this. Someone needs to turn his story into a novel. I would love to know the astro of the conservator and how their charts fit together.
there’s your novel! xx
xxx
Very Poldark
He’s cute! What a great photo! Very interesting expression on his face. What do you think he was thinking?
stay still 1001 , stay still 1002 , stay still 1003,
Lol! Classic!
Yeh I was thinking he has a really modern face..
To me he doesn’t look like he was of that era. He looks current.
Yes! Also his hair kicks up in a way that makes him look like a satyr with pointy ears. He is the model of a modern satyr looking Saturn returning Presbyterian Pisces inventor.
I would absolutely bet he had Gemini Rising, just from this look alone
I saw the pic and almost instantly wondered the same
Us multi mutables do wonder how we appear to others, being hard to pin down and all
Seriously? Is this a mutable thing? I am Gem Sun with Virgo rising and I am Neptunian (conjunct IC) as well. This certainly explains A LOT of things about me.
sometimes i wonder if it’s because as mutables we never want to assume or force an idea on someone else (i am wearing / doing This therefore you are to take me as This) , we just kind of present an array of options and ppl can do whatever . except people do make assumptions so appearances count after all dammit haha
Gemini rising. That totes explain why I find him the perfect guy.
I would totally fall for someone looking like this.
Hmm, I am picking up Pluto too.
So… I just ran his chart (used noon as generic birth time) – he is Sun conjunct Pluto in Pisces, stellium in Pisces actually, with Sun/Pluto, then Merc/Jupiter. Sun/Pluto opposite moon in Virgo. Noon birth time gives him an early Kataka rising (unreliable) so that puts his Pisces stellium in the 10th – these days he would’ve made a brilliant photographer or filmmaker. Venus in Aries opposite Mars in Libra – that is interesting, especially for an uptight Dutch (for the era) Presbyterian in Philadelphia, lol. Saturn conjunct Neptune in Sag, in T-square his Sun/PL on the right and his Virgo Moon on the left, and NN conj Uranus in Scorpio. Maybe he went full minister in his later years to atone for his naughtiness – and as a way to express all that intense Pisces since photography didn’t pan out? He did have 8 children with his wife.
I agree with Mystic and I would set the time back to get Gemini Rising.
I agree with setting the time back and only because his astro might totally go with yours, and be quite the blast for both 🙂
Agreed. He’s totally hot.
i saw a pic where someone had photoshopped aviators onto a picture of Lord Byron the poet and he looked HOT hahahahahaha .. just tried to find it, no luck, but yes this man could definitely make a pair of classic ray-bans work or being a multiple pisces some heart shaped frames if he wanted to rock out