On August 20th, 2014, in Manerbe, in the Calvados region of France, a ceremony was held to present the restoration of the family tomb of Humbert de Molard. The day commemorated the famous father and son, Colonel Jean-Claude François Humbert de Molard (1764 – 1833) and Adolphe Humbert de Molard (1800 – 1874), a key figure in the history of photography.
The restoration was made possible through partnerships with La Société pour la protection des paysages et de l’esthétique de la France, La Fondation du patrimoine, L’Association pour la conservation des monuments Napoléoniens and Manerbe patrimoine.
Several of Molard’s descendants were present: Claude and Nicolas Andrieu Guitrancourt, Christiane and Michel Zbinden and their children and grandchildren. The cousins Claude Andrieu Guitrancourt and Christiane Zbinden are the great-grandchildren of Louise Julie Marie Humbert de Molard, daughter of Adolphe Humbert de Molard. Also in attendance were the descendants of Louis Dodier, the famous daguerreotype “prisoner.”
For the ceremony, Bernard Chéreau, honorary professor of photographer and founder of the ARDI-Photographs in Normandy, was asked to present a few works by the photographer, and the historian Jeanne Gonçalves, a member of the Société Historique de Lisieux, gave a seminar.
What a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the outstanding work of a Norman. Exactly 175 years ago this year, in early 1839, the physicist and astronomer François Arago presented Daguerre’s invention to the Academy of Sciences. His method was shown on August 19th, 1839, by Arago to the Academy of Fine Arts and Combined Sciences in the presence of many journalists. It was a gift from France to the world.
Read the full article on the French version of The Eye
