Photography has only been around for about 175 years. In the grand scheme of the human race, that makes it a relatively recent invention. We don't have any photographs from before 1839, and photos remained relatively rare throughout the 1840’s. This rarity was mainly due to the expense of having a photo taken back then, and the relative scarcity of photography studios. As it was a new technology, only a small number of people knew how to do it at first, and they tended to set up their studios in large cities, where they could get the most number of customers. Early photography wasn't really available to the poor or rural population. On the rare occasion someone from either of these demographics got their photo taken during this period, it was because they'd saved up for it for a special occasion and/or made a rare trip into the nearest big city to visit relatives or get supplies...