The first book on the man who made it possible to print photographs in books.

Louis Alphonse Poitevin (1819–1882) was an outstanding inventor, chemist, engineer, scientist, artist, and photographer. This book looks into the life of this famous pioneer of photography for the first time. For more than thirty-five years Poitevin experimented with chemical and mechanical processes in order to make photographs printable and more durable. At an early stage of the medium’s development, Poitevin recognized how important photography would become for illustrating printed books. Among other achievements, he developed the first successful processes for illustrating books with photographs. This book brings together Poitevin’s photographs and research on his scientific experiments to put his accomplishments in the context of art history and the history of science.