For those interested in the origins of the Daguerreotype, the Paris photography school Speos and the museum Maison Nicéphore Niépce in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes have launched an online publication of Niépce – Letters and Documents, a collation of the correspondance of Nicéphore Niépce (1765-1833).
The revised online edition of Niépce, Letters and Documents is a compilation of over 700 documents from more than 50 international archives. Some brushing up on your French required.

The list of exhibitors now stands at 12 and a deadline has been set for submitting images for the selection to be included on the poster – April 29th. Said poster will be posted here once finalised.

Below is the church of Bry-sur-Marne which where in 1842 Daguerre painted the diorama (35 m²) that is now the only one by him still extant. The extension of the church with skylights in the top was built to house it and at Daguerre’s direction. It is visible in the full plate view he took from his house not far from the church and which is now in the collection of SFP (Societé française de photographie).

The “Hôtel de Malestroit” is next door (on the left of the image) and will house the exhibition 170 years since the announcement to the world of the process.

Currently the Daguerre association is the process of preparing a exhibition poster for this years exhibit. If you are planning on submitting images for the exhibition I would urge you to send Marc Kereun images of your daguerreotypes now so that your presence may heralded on the poster. Even if by the end of the year your change your selection of images you at least have the chance to be advertised in advance on the poster. Send reproduction quality scans to : marc.kereun@wanadoo.fr

Other details are emerging of the exhibit in Bry, the exhibition space is 400 m² in “Hôtel de Malestroit”. The lighting is said to be very favorable, the walls in 5 rooms are in grey colour and “directional spots anti UV in low frequence”. There are also cabinets for cased or unframed works.

It is looking likely that Jerry Spagnoli will give a workshop there on the process with Marc Kereun translating for the non english speaking participants. The Daguerre association is hoping to draw together contemporary daguerreotypists from across Europe for the event as well around the world so CDags.org is endeavouring to facilitate that.

For more details on the Event see the recently updated Daguerre association website (current events section). Also the link at the top of left hand column on this page has been updated to include all past and future posts on the event. In the dagforum there is a thread where people can post images they are submitting for the poster/exhibit or discuss the event in detail

One of the biggest events in the contemporary daguerreian calendar in recent years is set for September 12 to October 18, 2009, in l’Hôtel de Malestroit building in Bry-sur-Marne, France.

From Marc Kereun, Curator of the exhibition;

“Since the invention of daguerreotype, multiple techniques have finally transformed the production of photography from argentic to digital technology. But despite the dominant position of digital photography, some contemporary daguerreotypists perpetrate the Art of Daguerre on the five continents. The subjects chosen by these artists come from very different inspiration landscape exploring the modern world but also the past. Therefore contemporary daguerreotypes regain interest in a world where virtual images prevail. The fact that it cannot be reproduced makes it today of piece of art when it was considered for some time as a handicap.
To celebrate the 170th anniversary of the disclosure of the daguerreotype technology, « Louis Daguerre, le Magicien de l’Image » Association and the Adrien Mentienne Museum in Bry-sur-Marne have organized a major exhibition of contemporary daguerreotypes made in recent years. Dedicated to a large audience who wait only to be surprised, this exhibition will show the diversity of themes explored by this medium as well as the finesse of the different artistic routes of theirs authors.
The exhibition will take place in Hôtel de Malestroit building in Bry-sur-Marne, nearby Paris, where Louis Daguerre lived from 1839 to his death in 1851.
If you are interested in participating, as daguerreotypist, to this exhibition planed from the September 12, to October 18, 2009, please send us back by email, the attached form.”

Click on the links below for the official call for submissions and the submission form:

Curatorial invitation (pdf)        Form for submission of Daguerreotypes to the Exhibition (pdf)
Form for submission of Daguerreotypes to the Exhibition (word document)

“He is one of the few men in history to change the course of art and technology. And the only one without a museum”

Its the museum that will be (hopefully) and those that attended the recent Daguerreian Society symposium will have heard the Mayor Jean-Pierre Spillbauer of Bry-sur-Marne talk of the Daguerre related projects taking place there. These were outlined in a brochure given out at the symposium and excerpts from it are reproduced here to spread the word.

“The Daguerre Mansion is located in the heart of the town. Along with Daguerre’s family vault and the monument in the town center, there are also many of his works of art, from Paintings to Daguerreotypes, in the city hall.”

The restoration project of Daguerre’s last remaining Diorama (installed in the Church at Bry) can be viewed online at Daguerre-bry.com