![A self-portrait of Switzerland’s first photographer in old age.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/titel-isenring-300x225.jpg)
Switzerland’s first photographer
Over 180 years ago, Switzerland’s first photographer, Johann Baptist Isenring, wowed the public and newspapers with his picture and took the oldest existing photograph of Zurich. Although Isenring was one of the best-known and most prolific photographers of his time, very few of his pictures still exist today.
From group engravings to photography
![Louis Daguerre, taken circa 1860.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/daguerre-228x300.jpg)
![Group of engravings of the city of Lucerne by Johann Baptist Isenring, circa 1832.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/gruppenstich-luzern-300x235.jpg)
![Article on Isenring in the Zürcher Illustrierte weekly magazine, January 1934.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/artikel-uber-isenring-300x200.jpg)
Sitting still for a quarter of an hour?
![Group portrait based on photogenic drawing by Johann Baptist Isenring, 1839.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/mannergruppe-300x193.jpg)
![Double portrait, produced by Johann Baptist Isenring, circa 1845.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/foto-frau-275x300.jpg)
Where are the daguerrotypes now?
![Sitterbrücke and the mountains of Appenzell. Print by Johann Baptist Isenring, 1856.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/druckgrafik-sitterbrucke-300x228.jpg)
The oldest photo of Zurich
![The oldest existing photograph of Zurich is by Johann Baptist Isenring. It depicts a mirror image view of the old post office building with Paradeplatz in the background.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/hauser-300x225.jpg)
![The Poststrasse in Zurich around 1844 (mirrored). Photographed by Johann Babtist Isenring.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/isenring-zurich-postrasse-gespiegelt-1844-300x169.jpg)
![The Poststrasse in Zurich around 2021.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/potstrasse-zurich-21-google-street-view-300x169.jpg)
![A recently emerged daguerrotype showing a young Johann Baptist Isenring with his baby son.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/isenring-mit-sohn-255x300.jpg)