Contagious Genealogy: A Pandemic

Before the phrase, "But first, let me take a selfie!" reigned supreme in the late 2010s, my 2nd great grandparents, Nathan & Lizzie (Rockwell) Dixon, were already masters of photog culture. Their heyday was in the first half of the 20th century. Photography had only been invented a couple decades before they were born and had only gone mainstream when they were still in their youth. But it must have been an absolute hobby of theirs (or at least Lizzie's), because my family picture collection is filled with snaps of her and her husband. The two of them can certainly hold the title of first-ever influencers in our family tree. Here is just a selection of their photos over the years (and I'm positive I have several more hidden amongst my photo albums):

My 3rd great grandmother was born in 1816; more than 2 centuries ago. There's no doubt she grew up in a very different world from my own. Here, I work in the entertainment industry; a business borne from cameras, negatives, film, and of course, the storytellers who used those tools to capture a moment in time.  My ancestor's life began the same year Joseph Nicéphore Niépce used the camera obscura to produce images on photosensitive paper for the first time. It would still be another decade before he managed to create a permanent image, and another 10+ years before Louis Daguerre patented a method for capturing images on metal (aptly named the daguerrotype).  My predecessor, Louisa Fanny Wilcox, would be in for a fanciful treat just about the time she reached her prime years. Just imagine having only ever seen your own likeness in a mirror, and then, like magic, you could freeze that image of yourself and turn it into an everlasting memory and keepsake! She clearly took advanta...