Highlights of the Gernsheim Collections. The historian of photography Helmut Gernsheim owned the largest photography collection in the world. For the first time in half a century, both its sections are being reunited for an exhibition. Among the major pieces in the collection is the worlds first photographic image, taken by Niecephore Niepce in 1826. With roughly 220 outstanding photographic works, the exhibition and accompanying catalogue grant unprecedented insights into the matchless history of the Gernsheim collection, as well as a fascinating overview of the history of photography.