Photojournalism Minus the ‘Photo’: A Look Back at Newspapers Before Photography

There was a gap in time between the first newspapers and the rise of something called ‘photojournalism.” Photography was still in its infancy (or not even invented yet, in many cases) when many of the major newspapers came to be, and so the front page that would greet the informed citizen contained only words.

They’re eerie, crowded and overwhelming… and they’re a good reminder of why the words “photo” and “journalism,” when combined, create something pretty incredible.

Below we’ve dug up the first editions of some of the world’s most prestigious and early newspapers. From the New York (Daily) Times to The (Manchester) Guardian, there’s not a single photograph in sight:

Fortunately, we’re probably never going to go back to this. When a significant portion of your audience’s attention span is measured in number of characters and not paragraphs, a few pictures worth 1,000 words each really help get the point across.

No, photojournalists don’t have to worry about having their photos replaced by words today… just crappier photos that are much cheaper to acquire.

(h/t Doobybrain)