Joseph Nicéphore Niépce (French: [nisefɔʁ njɛps]; 7 March 1765 – 5 July 1833) was a French inventor and one of the first people to help develop photography. Niépce created a method called heliography, which he used to make the oldest known photographs that still exist today. In the mid-1820s, he used an early type of camera to take the oldest surviving photograph of a real place. Another invention by Niépce was the Pyréolophore, one of the first internal combustion engines in the world. He worked with his older brother, Claude Niépce, to design, build, and improve this invention.

Biography

Nicéphore Niépce was born in Chalon-sur-Saône, Saône-et-Loire. His father was a wealthy lawyer. His older brother, Claude (1763–1828), worked with him on research and inventions but later became mentally unstable and had no money, having spent the family’s wealth on poor business ideas related to the Pyréolophore. Niépce also had a sister and a younger brother named Bernard.

Nicéphore was baptized as Joseph but later chose the name Nicéphore to honor Saint Nicephorus, a ninth-century religious leader. He studied at an Oratorian college in Angers, where he learned science and the scientific method. He became a professor at the college after showing great skill.

Niépce worked as an officer in Napoleon’s French army, spending time in Italy and on the island of Sardinia. However, illness forced him to leave his job. Afterward, he married Agnes Romero and became the administrator of the district of Nice in post-revolutionary France. In 1795, he left his position as administrator to work with his brother, Claude, on scientific research. Some sources say he left because people did not like him.

In 1801, the brothers returned to their family’s estate in Chalon-sur-Saône to continue their research. They lived with their mother, sister, and younger brother Bernard. They managed the estate as wealthy farmers, growing beets and making sugar.

In 1827, Niépce traveled to England to visit his seriously ill older brother, Claude, who was living in Kew near London. By this time, Claude had become confused and had spent much of the family’s money on unwise business ideas for the Pyréolophore.

Nicéphore Niépce died of a stroke on July 5, 1833. His death was recorded on July 6, 1833. He was very poor when he died, and the local government paid for his burial in the cemetery of Saint-Loup de Varennes. This cemetery is near the family home where he conducted experiments and created the world’s oldest surviving photograph.

His son, Isidore (1805–1868), worked with Daguerre after his father’s death. In 1839, Isidore received a government pension in exchange for sharing details about his father’s heliogravure process.

A cousin, Claude Félix Abel Niépce de Saint-Victor (1805–1870), was a chemist. He was the first to use albumen in photography and made photographic engravings on steel. Between 1857 and 1861, he discovered that uranium salts emit a type of invisible radiation.

Photojournalist Janine Niépce (1921–2007) is a distant relative.

Achievements

The exact date of Niépce's first photographic experiments is unknown. He became interested in photography because he wanted to improve the art of lithography, a printing method, but realized he lacked the skills needed. He also studied the camera obscura, a tool used by wealthy people who enjoyed art but weren't professionals. The camera obscura created temporary images of light, which inspired others, like Thomas Wedgwood and Henry Fox Talbot, to find ways to capture these images more easily than by drawing them manually.

Letters from around 1816 suggest that Niépce succeeded in making small images on paper coated with silver chloride. However, the images were negatives, meaning light areas appeared dark and vice versa. He could not prevent the images from darkening when exposed to light.

Niépce then experimented with other light-sensitive materials, eventually focusing on Bitumen of Judea, a type of natural asphalt used by artists to coat copper plates for etchings. When exposed to light, the bitumen became less soluble. Niépce mixed bitumen with lavender oil, a solvent used in varnishes, and applied it to stone or metal. A test image, such as an engraving, was placed over the coating and left in sunlight. After exposure, the unhardened bitumen in shaded areas was rinsed away, leaving a pattern that could be etched with acid or used in printing.

Niépce called his method heliography, meaning "sun drawing." In 1822, he used it to create what is believed to be the first permanent photographic image, a copy of an engraving of Pope Pius VII. This image was later destroyed. Surviving examples from 1825 include prints of a man with a horse and a woman with a spinning wheel. These prints were made using Niépce's photographic process rather than traditional hand-drawn methods.

Niépce's letters to his brother Claude show that his first successful permanent photograph using bitumen was made between 1822 and 1827. This image, now the oldest known camera photograph, was rediscovered in 1952. Early estimates suggested an eight- to nine-hour exposure, but later research found that several days of sunlight were needed.

In 1829, Niépce partnered with Louis Daguerre, who also sought a way to make permanent photos. Together, they developed the physautotype, using lavender oil distillate. After Niépce's death in 1833, Daguerre continued his work and created the daguerreotype. The French government supported Daguerre, giving him a yearly stipend and funding for Niépce's estate. This upset Niépce's son, who felt his father's contributions were overlooked. Later historians recognized Niépce's role in inventing photography, which involves using light-sensitive materials to create lasting images.

Although Niépce's early process was not practical for cameras, it was later used in printing from the 1850s to the 20th century.

The Niépce brothers also invented the Pyréolophore, one of the first working internal combustion engines, in 1807. It used lycopodium powder and was installed on a boat. In 1817, they created a fuel injection system for an engine.

In 1818, Niépce became interested in Karl von Drais's Laufmaschine, an early bicycle. He built a version called the vélocipède and improved it with an adjustable saddle. A model is displayed at the Niépce Museum.

In 1807, the French government sought a new hydraulic machine to replace the Marly machine, which supplied water to the Palace of Versailles. The Niépce brothers designed a machine using a new hydrostatic principle and improved it in 1809. Their design used more precise parts to reduce resistance. However, the Emperor chose another engineer to build a steam engine instead.

Legacy and commemoration

The lunar crater Niépce is named after him.

The Niépce Heliograph is on permanent display at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Historians Alison and Helmut Gernsheim discovered the object in 1952. It was sold to the Humanities Research Center, which later became the Harry Ransom Center, in 1963.

The Niépce Prize has been awarded annually since 1955 to a professional photographer who has lived and worked in France for over three years. Albert Plécy of l'Association Gens d'Images created the prize to honor Niépce.