News about Robert Cornelius

From the first self-portrait to the construction of Manhattan's subway system, one of America's most coveted storytellers has published a new book packed to the brim with some of the country's earliest pictorial moments. Ken Burns, who is best known for his filmmaking, has been covering American history for more than four decades and using imagery to help recreate the country's struggles and triumphs. Our America contains 251 black-and-white photographs, including the 1839 self-portrait of Robert Cornelius, an amateur chemist, and the building of one of New York City's subway lines.