IS this the world's first 'selfie'?

Bradford photographer Christopher Pratt took this picture of himself when he was 12 or 13 in about 1905.

This is part of a new free exhibition at the Bradford Industrial Museum which celebrates his lifetime of photography.

A Lad wi' a Camera - The Early Photography of Christopher Pratt Jr, which opens at the Moorside Mills site on Saturday, May 30, features 15 images from his collection of pictures.

Mr Pratt was a third generation member of the Bradford furniture manufacturer and retailer. Christopher Pratt and Sons was set up as a company of cabinet makers in 1880 and remained in Bradford until it moved to Leeds in 2003.

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He became interested in photography from an early age and his images give a unique view of Bradford's society and industry prior to the First World War.

In the new exhibition, pictures of Baildon and Bradford city centre feature among the collection, which also includes images of animals such as cats.

The black and white photographs date from 1899 to the 1930s. It will go on display in the front entrance of the museum in Eccleshill.

Mr Pratt was a strong Methodist and many of the photographs he took were to showcase the work of the Methodist Church

Images from the exhibition will be shown on the big screen in Centenary Square, Bradford, on Monday, May 25.

They form part of the Bradford Museums and Galleries photographic archive is housed at Bradford Industrial Museum in Eccleshill.

Consisting of more than 350,000 glass and film negatives and prints, it includes a number of significant collections.

Lizzie Llabres, assistant curator for the exhibition, said the collection of Mr Pratt's work was an important pictorial record of Bradford's social history during the early 20th century.

She said: "It could potentially be the first selfie.

"In the photograph he is holding the camera to his face. We think he is about 12 or 13 when it was taken.

"It's been really exciting going through the negatives we have been given by the Pratt family.

"They are quite interesting pictures. He was quite cheeky with his photography.

"It also features photographs of Baildon and Bradford and also the moors.

"I think it's incredibly important that this exhibition takes place as he is a really interesting photographer.

"The images are very specific to Yorkshire and Bradford and show a key part of social history.

"His early work photographing the things, places and people he loved is a fascinating social record and captures the city on the brink of change in the early years of the 20th century."

The exhibition runs until Sunday, November 15.