Experts at History Colorado have been thinking of different ways to help commemorate Colorado’s 150th birthday this year. One idea they pursued was to track down the earliest known photograph of Colorado.
And what they uncovered is striking: It’s a daguerreotype from 1853, taken during an expedition across the West more than 20 years before Colorado became a state in 1876.
The image depicts a Cheyenne village with two people facing the camera, near what is now Lamar, Colo.
For the curators at History Colorado, the photo also revealed the fascinating story of the photographer – a man named Solomon Nunes Carvalho, who traveled the West with a bulky camera and captured some of the earliest photos of the region.
Erin O’Toole spoke last fall with Sam Bock, History Colorado’s director of Interpretations and Publications, to learn more about the search for the oldest photo and what it tells us about Colorado’s early history.
We’re listening back to that conversation today as part of a week of special episodes kicking off Colorado’s sesquicentennial year.
2026 marks a major birthday for Colorado, which became a state on Aug. 1, 1876. In honor of the 150th anniversary, KUNC News is exploring some of the most fascinating – and sometimes overlooked – stories from Colorado history.
