1890s Spy Cam Photos Show Early Street Photography & (Surprise) Victorians Actually Smiling!

Street photography was in its infancy at the time and many people had never before been photographed. While Størmer was interested in all things related to his studies and his hobbies (of which photography fit right in) there is a story that he initially acquired the camera so as to take pictures from afar of girl he liked that he was not brave enough to approach. We have to wonder if she is in any of these photos!

The nearly 500 images Størmer took are now held in collection of the Norwegian Folkmuseum, a record of a fascinating time when women in bustles and corsets were photographed with an actual spy camera.

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