Niepce, Joseph Nicéphore

Niepce, Joseph Nicéphore (zhôzef' nēsāfôr' nyeps) [key], 1765–1833, French chemist who originated a process of photography (see photography, still). In 1826 he produced the first known photograph, which he called a heliograph, using bitumen of Judea (a form of asphalt) on on a pewter plate. From 1829 he worked with Louis Daguerre, who perfected the process after the death of Niepce. A nephew, Claude Felix Abel Niepce de Saint-Victor,. 1805–70, also a chemist, was the first to use albumen in photography and also produced photographic engravings on steel.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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