Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The French Museum of Photography was founded in 1949 when Jean Fage and his son André, passionate about photography, founded the Photo Club du Val de Bièvres. By 1950, they began to gather a collection of objects and images to illustrate the history of photography, thus forming the embryo of the future museum. This initiative culminated in 1964 in the opening of the museum in the premises of the town hall of Bièvres, officially registered at the sub-prefecture of Palaiseau on 10 February 1964.

The museum was inaugurated on 7 June 1964 at the first photo fair and was approved by the Ministry of Culture on 22 January 1968. In 1972, the Essonne General Council acquired the property of the Val Profond, an area of 350 m2 with a park of 5,000 m2, to install the museum. After initial management by the association of the French Museum of Photography in 1973, the General Council resumed its management in 1974. The museum was labeled Musée de France in 2002 (or 2003 according to the sources).

Today, the museum houses more than 25,000 objects, a million photographs, and a specialized library, one of the richest European collections on photography. These collections trace the evolution of the techniques and social uses of photography since the 19th century. Some of the archives are available online on the museum website. The monument also pays tribute to Nadar, pioneer of aerial photography, with a monument inaugurated in 1966.

External links