The Two Ways of Life by Oscar Rejlander

       Oscar Rejlander was one of the first artists to use photography as an art form. His most famous work is The Two Ways of Life, created in 1857 over six weeks.
        The work is set in a great stone hall, with a forest scene visible through a doorway in the background. Placed in almost the exact center is a preacher with two men in front of him.
        The man on his right (our right) is holding the hand of the preacher with a serene expression on his face. In front of the serene man are various scenes taking place at the same time: one woman is kneeling and weeping at the feet of another woman standing over her. At their side is an almost semi-translucent woman with a crown of flowers and a white gown that also has flowers on it. This third woman likely represents an angel, and this one scene gives the mood of some sort of confession. Also on the right side of the work are what appears to be an African doctor rubbing the eyes of someone whose face is covered by the cloth, as well as a cartographer taking measurements on a globe with a compass, along with some men and women in the background; one at work with a clothes iron, another stitching up what appears to be a doll, and other everyday tasks that are obscured.
        The man on the left (our left), however, has let go of the preacher's hand and is looking at three women on the bottom left with the most wolf-whistle worthy look I have seen. The wolf-whistle man is shading his eyes with his right hand to get a better look at the women, as if preparing to get a piece of the action. Besides the three women looking at the wolf-whistle man, there are at least three other bare-chested women on the left side of the work, which in this case represent sinful pleasure. Other scenes on the wolf-whistle man's side include three men standing over a veiled table; the man on the far left appears to be a fortune teller, and the man on the right seems to be discussing the implications of the fortune he was given. A third man stands between the two, tugging at his hair as if in disbelief of the scene unfolding directly in front of him. What is more interesting is what looks like two women kissing each other to the top right of the fortune-telling scene. (At around this time, the influence of the church was still strong, and homosexuality was frowned on.) All the while, the preacher has his hand raised upwards, as if the wolf-whistle man had just let go to get a better look at the three women.
        This work is notable due to the fact that Rejlander took 30 separate photos and placed them all together in a single picture. It was the Romantic equivalent of today's Photoshop.