Claude Niépce
Encyclopedia
Claude Félix Abel Niépce ( born 1763 probably at Chalon-sur-Saône
, France
– died 1828 Kew
, England
) was a French inventor and the older brother of the more celebrated Nicéphore Niépce
. Claude traveled to England to try to find a sponsor for their internal combustion engine and died there. His brother's later successful development of photography has eclipsed the part played by Claude.
the world's first internal combustion engine, as well as pioneering work in photography
.
Claude and Nicéphore were granted a patent for their internal combustion engine by the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807. Life in post-revolutionary France was very difficult and by 1817 there was insufficient progress to attract subsidy and investment, so the ten-year patent expired. Worried about losing control of the engine, Claude traveled first to Paris and then to England in an attempt to further the project. He received the patent consent of King George III
on 23 December 1817. This was not the key to success. Over the next ten years, Claude remained in London, settled in Kew
and descended into delirium
, whereby he squandered much of the family fortune chasing inappropriate business opportunities for the Pyréolophore.
Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of Mâcon....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
– died 1828 Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) was a French inventor and the older brother of the more celebrated Nicéphore Niépce
Nicéphore Niépce
Nicéphore Niépce March 7, 1765 – July 5, 1833) was a French inventor, most noted as one of the inventors of photography and a pioneer in the field.He is most noted for producing the world's first known photograph in 1825...
. Claude traveled to England to try to find a sponsor for their internal combustion engine and died there. His brother's later successful development of photography has eclipsed the part played by Claude.
Life
The two brothers worked together on a number of projects including an innovative hydraulic engine, the PyréolophorePyréolophore
The Pyréolophore was probably the world's first internal combustion engine. It was invented in the early 19th century in Chalon-sur-Saône, France, by the Niépce brothers: Nicéphore Niépce and his brother Claude....
the world's first internal combustion engine, as well as pioneering work in photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
.
Claude and Nicéphore were granted a patent for their internal combustion engine by the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807. Life in post-revolutionary France was very difficult and by 1817 there was insufficient progress to attract subsidy and investment, so the ten-year patent expired. Worried about losing control of the engine, Claude traveled first to Paris and then to England in an attempt to further the project. He received the patent consent of King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
on 23 December 1817. This was not the key to success. Over the next ten years, Claude remained in London, settled in Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
and descended into delirium
Delirium
Delirium or acute confusional state is a common and severe neuropsychiatric syndrome with core features of acute onset and fluctuating course, attentional deficits and generalized severe disorganization of behavior...
, whereby he squandered much of the family fortune chasing inappropriate business opportunities for the Pyréolophore.
External links
- Letters of Claude Niépce translation at Google. 1818 to 1825, Chalon-sur-Saône Museum . Accessed April 2011