The Holy Grail

[Note this was written on May 16th on the train back to Paris.]

It would be hard to imagine a day spent any more in the heart of the world of photography history. We started out at the Maison (house) Niepce, about 20 minutes outside Chalon Sur Saone. I had been in email contact with Eva at Speos, a photo university and also curator of the house. While the house was ferme, (closed) at this time of year, for a price (120 Euro) they sent out a guide to let us in. I apologize I forgot his name but we had been forewarned he only spoke French. He was very nice but apologetic about his inability to speak English. Yet, he did ok in starting an English video of the restoration of the building. Then, there were large cards with the highlights of each room we were allowed to go in. Unfortunately, the photo rights to the building had been granted only to Gamma, a photo agency. Therefore, we could not take any pictures except in the first room downstairs and outside. Our guide tried his best to explain many of the features in each room. Room 2 was the holy grail of photo history. In that room we saw a replica of the camera Niepce used and looked out the same window that Niepce took what is believed to be the first fixated image in photography. The actual photo is now at the University of Austin, Texas and the camera is at the Musee Niepce, which is in the town. The guide wrote that the photo is worth some $160 million but I think some research is in order there. Going on in the house we go upstairs in the east attic to the lab. We saw one window next to the lab that had several metal plates on the floor. It is believed this is also where Niepce took many photos as the chemistry that he used probably spilled on the floor and ate away the wood. An opposite window does not have this. Much research went into verifying the authenticity. They recreated the shot but noticed things didn’t quite match. Further exploration found the “window” had been moved 70 cm in a later renovation. They also found the floor was not the original and pulled out some boards to have them dated. Another darkroom on the opposite side of the attic was used during Niepce’s collaboration with Daguerre. Our guide did know a little English and pointed out a few things and used animation (boom with his hands and eyes going up) to show the caustic value of Niepce’s chemistry, amongst the terms he used was Benzene, which I knew as petrol or gasoline. Niepce, and his brother Claude who lived across the street, were quite the inventors. In addition to photography, they invented a velocipede, a forerunner of the bicycle but no pedals as you had to use your feet, sort of like a Flintstone car. Also, combustion engines, one was used on a boat. Not many people speak English in this area of France, such as our cab driver.

I love the slow pace of this country. We came back to town, went to the musee (museum) Niepce but we only had about a half hour before it closed for two hours for lunch. Most retail stores do the same. We had a wonderful lunch but I must confess, I don’t think too many people here are aware of the dangers of cigarette smoking. The downside of sitting outside at a café is that is where all the smokers are. Oddly, in contrast to the US, there aren’t too many people inside.

The musee Nicephore Niepce is more devoted to photography that Niepce himself. However, a statue of him close by, erected in 1885, does pay homage to the man. The museum has his original camera, one huge view camera, about 16x20 inches, and other photographic tools. I was impressed that a group of students, about junior high age, were on a field trip that day in the museum. Most of the writing is in French but some English is by a few exhibits also. Photogravure’s that Niepce did and many Daguerreotypes were displayed and many styles of cameras such as the Hasselblad that went to the moon, an underwater housing built to hold a Rollei twin lens reflex, and an exhibit on cameras with flash. In addition, there was a bank of 3D images, controlled by a track ball and shown on a screen that one could view upon putting on the 3D glasses. Mary Beth and I looked like something out of the 50’s in that room. Autochromes were also on display. The last part of the museum consisted of contemporary images shown in a gallery.

The night before, we were looking for someplace to eat but decided first to visit a place I had seen on the internet called the Boogie Blues Bar. We met a man named Jean Pierre who, along with a woman we believe to be his wife, ran the bar. We were the only ones there initially and when Jean Pierre found out our interest in photography, he smiled and brought out this stereo viewer that held a bank of stereo slides and one could pull down a lever while looking through the eyepieces to advance to the next slide. Jean Pierre provided the nicest hospitality as well as serving drinks at extremely affordable prices, especially the Glenmorangie. Before we left we exchanged email addresses and he gave us a bottle of local wine.