Historical bits and pieces are revealed, family secrets unveiled — the collage of scientific history turns the confidences of Nicéphore Niépce (1765-1833) into a captivating story.

Due to their singularity, the letters by the inventor of photography and the first internal combustion engine hold quite a unique place within the history of science. Mainly written to relatives and close friends, they are better than a lab notebook, as they reveal the inventor's privacy — his failures, mistakes, doubts — but also his hopes and successes, reflecting his true creativity and ingenuity. These letters hide nothing, combining the qualities and weaknesses, which are usually left out from inventors' sucess stories. For the contemporary researcher, reading the Niépce letters is unique.