Niépces’ Houses – Photo Gallery

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The Niépce family’ different houses

Many dwellings which belonged to Niépce and his parents still exist, some of them preserved in their original condition.
Most of them are located around Chalon-sur-Saône in Burgundy.

Flowers in the garden of the Gras estate in St.-Loup-de-Varennes.

The estate of the Gras in St.-Loup-de-Varennes (7 km south from Chalon-sur-Saône) where Niepce spent the summer with his family. It is in this house that he invented Photography in 1824. The tower was built many year after the inventor’s death. He had set up his workshop on the first floor on the left hand side and made the world first photographs shooting views from different windows.

The Gras estate in St.-Loup seen in a mirror…. “I will reproduce the image as I see it in a mirror“ said Niepce to his friend the Marquis de Jouffroy.

The Gras estate in St.-Loup-de-Varennes ( 7 km south of Chalon-sur-Saône) where Niepce spent the summer with his family.It is in this house that he invented photography in 1824. The tower was built after the inventor’s death. He had set up his workshop on the first floor on the left side of the building and made the world first photographs taking pictures from different windows.

The painter Vivant-Denon was the Niepces’ neighbor, he lived in a house (in Chalon-sur-Saône) where Nicephore may have admired his paintings decorating the walls. Here in the sitting-room.

Oratory house : Niepce’s winter house in Chalon-sur-Saône. It was built by the Noble Pierre Hoges, Chalon’s mayor in 1650. This house belonged to members of the Burgundy Parliament before it was bought in 1740 by Bernard Niepce, Nicephore’s grand-father,King counselor,residing in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes.

House of Colonel David Niepce, Nicephore’s removed cousin. Today, a self-catering house in Sennecey-le-Grand.

Part of Claude Niepce’s house, older brother of Nicephore in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes.

Isidore Niepce’s house, son of Nicephore,in Lux (a village 5 km south from Chalon-sur-Saône) He had bought it from the painter Vivant-Denon. It was in its attic that in 1861 were found the camerae obscurae and the equipment used by Nicephore in his quest to invent Photography.