In 1999, Pierre-Yves Mahe, founder of SPEOS photography school, rented on the Gras estate, the part of the house where Niépce had located his laboratory-workshop in Saint-Loup de Varennes.
Pierre-Yves Mahe was the first photographer to occupy the place since the inventor’s death in 1833.The historical residence had remained unexplored until then, just gazed at from outside by some curious people.
With Jean-Louis Marignier, a scientist at the CNRS (French National Center of Scientific Research), they recreated Niépce’s working conditions, and with methodical diggings they rediscovered the site of his experiments.

Restoring the House is the first step of an ambitious project that will lead to bring this man, its life and achievements to light.
> The team


• Pierre-Yves MAHÉ : Pierre-Yves Mahé directs the Maison Nicéphore Niépce project from its beginning in July 1999. Commercial photographer and holder of an executive MBA diploma from HEC, he has also created the school of photography SPEOS in 1985, as well as Prophot-Numérique in collaboration with André Lebrun in 1997.
He is the inventor of the Stop-System photographic method and the co-writer of the book entitled “Beginning Photography using the Stop-System”, published by France Delory editions in 1999 and distributed by Kodak Books in the US..

• Jean-Louis MARIGNIER : Author of the Niépce website and responsible for its technical and historical content, he is a researcher for the CNRS at the chemistry and physics lab of the University Paris-Sud Orsay.
PhD in physics, he is a specialist of chemistry under radiation. Prizewinner of the Académie des Sciences (Kodak grand prize in 1991) he has also received the Salverte medal from the French Society of Photography (1991). He is the author of over 40 articles on Niépce as well as the book entitled “Niépce, L'invention de la photographie”, published by Belin editions in 1999.
He is also the co-writer with Manuel Bonnet of the book “Niépce, correspondance et papiers”, published by Maison Nicephore Niépce editions in 2003.

• Michèle LOURSEAU : Chemist at the CNRS (Physics and Chemistry Laboratory-Orsay University) Participated to research which permitted the re-creation of Heliography in 1989, and of the Physautotype in 1992 and also of the first silver chloride negatives on paper as described by Niépce.

• Jean-Louis BRULEY : professor of Mechanic Engineering in higher education schools, interested for 15 years in the motorizations of the future, has been able to reconstitute the Pyreolophore of the Niépce brothers. Co-constructor of the Pyreolophore 2000, he is now working on its optimization. He will be your guide for off-season visits of Niépce’s House.

• Nicole CAPOULADE : Niépce’s House national visits manager

• Céline CLANET : Visual Identity

• Jean-Pierre PAVILLARD, Eva ELLENBERGER : English translators
> To contact us :


You can get in touch with us through Spéos :
8 rue Jules Vallès, 75011 Paris FRANCE
tel : 01 40 09 18 58
fax : 01 40 09 84 97



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