The World’s Oldest Darkroom

While it might be that the only chemical solution digital photographers frequently use any more are dust cleansers and eye-drops for the effects of hours staring at a computer screen, it never hurts to remind ourselves of just how complicated things used to be. And when the endless cycle of getting used to the latest software is taking its toll, it’s hard not to romanticize the past and the early, more rudimentary tools of the trade.

But what did a darkroom actually look like over 150 years ago? Well, its not so hard too imagine anymore once you see the picture of a Joseph Petiot-Groffier’s darkroom. The darkroom was sealed by his family after his death in 1855, only to be rediscovered intact 150 years later, with most of Petiot-Groffier’s bottles and equipment still on the shelves. For those who are interested, Muse-ing’s Tim Atherton and Luminous- Lint.com reflect over some of the details of the photography pioneer’s lasting influences in photography and in darkroom bric-a-brac with their look at what French newspaper Le Devoir calls the world’s oldest darkroom.

Photo copyright (c) Pierre-Yves Mahé, Le Journal de Saône-et-Loire
_—Michael Gaudet
Contributing Blogger
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