In summer 2010, the last objects of the world’s oldest photo lab are finally on view in the Niépce House after several months of anoxia — a process that consists in destroying worms and parasites contained in the wood by means of a vacuum, without interfering with future chemical analyses.
The Photographic Studio and Lab of Fortuné Joseph Petiot-Groffier (1788-1855) This lab is the oldest existing we know of at present (thanks to the receipts, the chemicals can be dated back as far as 1840-41). From photography pioneers such as Niépce, Daguerre, Talbot or Bayard, no entire lab has been preserved, but individual ancient large...
