Behold, The First Photos Ever Posted to Instagram

Photo-sharing app Instagram was launched four years ago this week. So, what did Instagram founders Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom have in mind when they launched the app, which now has approximately 200 million monthly active users, in 2010? Systrom posted the first Instagram photo ever before the app had been released to the public, and Petapixel has the evidence.

Systrom did not post a glowing sunset, a fabulous cityscape, or anything particularly momentous to mark the launch. Instead, he Instagrammed a pic of his young Golden Retriever, Dolly, who smiles at the camera in her excitement at being published. The foot of Systrom’s girlfriend, Nicole, is strategically incorporated into the frame. The second photo ever posted to Instagram is even less exciting — a picture of a taco stand, location unknown, setting the precedent for millions of food porn posts to come in the future. In the third pic, we see the face of Systrom's girlfriend, smiling through a vintage filter while sipping a fruity cocktail.

We can deduce that Instagram is the brainchild of a simple guy who loves his dog, his tacos, and his girl. Unbeknownst to the founders, the app would become one of the most popular mediums for famous bloggers and photographers to showcase their creativity. Murad Ossan, for example, landed an exhibit in the 2013 Art Basel Miami show, with his #followmeto series, while other users such Foster Huntington and Vaggelis Fragkakis continue to amass hundreds of thousands of followers.

As professional artists and brands flock to Instagram to share their masterpieces, the founders continue to post humble photos documenting their everyday lives. As for Dolly, she is still the official puppy mascot of Instagram. Follow her at @dolly, and land her a 12,476th follower.

Images: Instagram/Kevin Systrom