Christian iconography went through a major shift with the advent of photography. What we now recognize as camera photography began in 1835. Film cameras didn’t arrive until 1884. Color photos had to wait until 1908. Before then, the Catholic Church did not usually possess historically accurate portraits of her saints.

To be honest, this is something that I had never before considered. Photography does in fact change the way we identify with saints. For example, I began to love and appreciate Pope Leo XIII in a new way when I first witnessed the archaic video footage of this holy pope. Here is the video for your viewing pleasure (if you cannot see it in your daily email, please visit the site):

In just the same way, photographs of the saints seem to make them more real, more tangible. Here are a few wonderful examples:

Our Little Flower, St Therese

St Pio kissing a baby

St Pius X on his deathbed

St Maximilian Kolbe, in his beard phase

St Katherine Drexel of Philadelphia, smiling in her poverty

The handsome St Damien before leprosy

St Damien after leprosy and apostolic ministry

Personally, the Saint Damien photos shown above have a profound power over me. Just look at his knuckles in the leprosy picture. Those hands held Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament with tender devotion and divine charity. He was a man fully spent for Christ and the photo reveals that. A photo says what words could never communicate!

Here are two questions I need help with from all you:

1) Who was the first canonized saint to be photographed? That is, what’s the oldest example of “photo-hagio-graphy”? I imagine it would be a saint from the mid 1800s. If you have an old photo or holy card with a photo, would you please share it in the comments?

UPDATE: One of our readers named Clarence has suggested that St Bernadette is the first photographed saint of the Catholic Church. This looks about right. Does anyone know of a photographed saint before St Bernadette? If not, then the answer is Bernadette!

2) Secondly, do you find that photographed saints (like St Therese) are somehow easier to access and appreciate? I, for one, have a difficult time identifying with Eastern iconography. Maybe it’s the Aristotle in my bones, but I just cannot connect with the Platonized, idealized image of a saint. Big eyes. Little mouth. Thin nose. If I saw a saint from a Byzantine icon walking down the street, I’d probably run away. Yes, I know what it all symbolizes, but when it comes to saints, I like realism. I’m a Roman – not a Greek. I also think photographed saints ground our true belief in the resurrection of the body. What about you?

Please leave a comment below and join the discussion.