The first modern photograph was produced in France in the 1820s. That same decade, on the other side of the Atlantic, the United States created the Territory of Florida. Photography didn’t become widespread in Florida for some decades, but when the Civil War struck in 1861, reporters raced to capture the conflict on film. Those wartime images are now some of the first photos we have of the Sunshine State – but there are plenty more that showcase Florida's fun side too.

Click through this gallery to see our collection of stunning 19th-century images capturing Florida’s earliest days…