After five months of works that improved the technical installations and renewed the mediation trail, the Catacombs now have a space to host a display as a prelude to the visit of the site.
On the occasion of the bicentenary of photography, a little-known facet of the famous photographer and portrait artist Nadar will be highlighted: that of the prolific inventor who documented Paris "from every angle".
Félix Tournachon, known as Nadar (1820-1910), filed several major patents: aerial photography in 1858, then electric lighting for photography in 1861, which he applied from 1862 in the Catacombs. His photographs disseminated a faithful representation of the site, which at that time could only be visited by a few privileged people. In 1868, he made the first photographs of Paris seen from the sky. Within a decade, he pushed back technical limits and changed the way the city was viewed. Some fifteen documents (prints from original photographs of underground and aerial views, reproductions of patents, advertisements, drawings and caricatures) bear witness to Nadar's pioneering role in shaping an imagery of the modern city.
This project benefits from the "Bicentenaire de la Photographie" label awarded by the Ministry of Culture. It is part of the official programming of the Bicentenary, which will take place from 1 September 2026 to 30 September 2027.