The first scientific investigation of Niépce’s images from UK and US collections: image layer and image formation

Abstract

The article reports on the results of the first ever scientific investigation of all heliographic and heliogravure plates created by Joseph Nicephore Niépce in France that he brought with him in 1827 to England. In hopes of presenting his invention to the Royal Society of London and to the Royal court, he may have selected the best examples of his experiments that were able to demonstrate the entire range of applications of his photographic processes. The in-depth scientific investigation of four still surviving plates in the Royal Photographic Society collection of the National Media Museum in Bradford and the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin provided new insight into the material aspects of J.N. Niépce’s experiments, new and sometimes surprising and unexpected information of the image structure and image formation. The microscopic and analytical investigation of the images in combination with a broad battery of supporting analyses, artificial ageing studies and process re-creations allowed us to correct many pieces of information previously obtained by interpreting J.N. Niépce’s letters and documents. Our investigation also established, for the first time, a scientifically based conservation baseline for the long term monitoring of the state of preservation of these iconic plates and resulted in the development of new, inert, gas filled and sensor equipped enclosures for their long term display and storage.

Keywords:

• heliography
• heliogravure
• physautotype
• Joseph Nicéphore Niépce
• early history photography
• technical art history
• conservation science

The authors would like to thank the larger GCI, HRC and NMeM project teams for their contributions to the project, the director of the HRC Tom Staley, the director of the NMeM Colin Philpott and the director of the GCI Tim Whalen for their enthusiastic support of both research projects and RPS President Rosemary Wilman and the RPS Board of Directors for their support of the ‘Niépce in England’ symposium and their interest in many historical and research aspects of the project.