Skip to main content

Musings from Philippe

Sailing, Mountains, Music, and Technology

1st Camera-Phone Public Photo


Point, Shoot, Share, Instantly


On June 11th, 1997, Philippe Kahn debuted the first camera phone solution to share photos instantly over public cell phone networks. The impetus for this invention was the birth of his daughter with his wife, Sonia Lee. After the birth, Philippe connected a digital camera to a mobile phone and sent an image to his home-based webserver to share photos in real-time. In 2016, Time Magazine included Philippe’s first camera phone photo in their list of the 100 most influential photographs of all time.

The Camera-Phone was born in Santa Cruz on June 11, 1997 at the Sutter Maternity Clinic.


Learn more


Museums Featuring The First Camera Phone Photo

First Camera Phone’s Impact on Social Media

Related: The First Camera Phone Photo Instantly Shared in a Public Forum

Press & Additional Reading

© 2001-2024 Musings from Philippe