The oldest surviving photograph..
was taken by Nicéphore Niépce. It does look like much, really. Before I say anything more, take a look for yourself.
The original plate on display at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas, in 2004 (Wikipedia)
Can you even tell me what it is?
It was taken by an old Camera Obscura. Grossly oversimplified, it is basically a box that allows sunlight to pass through and imprint the image on a wall, sheet, or in this case, a tin plate. The image would be reversed and upside down, of course. Our brains are what flip the image to the correct orientation from what our eyes see automagically.
It was fun searching for old photos online. I didn't think I'd find one from 1827 as this one is. I assumed the oldest photographs would be from the Civil War era. This is like discovering a cave painting.
Below are reorientated and colorized renderings of what the photographer captured. Take a look, then go back to the original and see what you can identify.
Source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-first-photo-View-from-the-Window-at-Le-Gras-left-and-a-current-color-photo_fig12_341068963
We can only imagine what the original photographer saw outside of his or her window. We can get a glimpse at 19-century France. without the modern tools we photographers have today, Nicéphore Niépce recorded history!
It's a reminder that we don't need the best technology to take meaningful photos. We only need but a glimpse from a window.
NO EXCUSES!
..then again, maybe I need to move to France!
Source: https://kodaksefkeblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/visit-to-niepces-point-de-vue-du-gras.html