PHOTOGRAPHIC MUSEUM

Nestled at the end of a quiet pedestrian alley, in a beautiful ^18th century house that belonged to the French botanist and administrator Pierre Poivre, the museum, the synthesis of more than 50 years of research and personal investigations, houses an important collection of cameras from the ^19th and early ^20th centuries, as well as thousands of old photos revealing aspects of Mauritian life in the past (old buildings, railroads, scenes of life...). Created in 1966, it is the "passionately furious" work of the late Tristan Bréville (a fierce defender of heritage and of the notion of memory in the collective sense of the term) and his wife Marie-Noëlle. Rich in daguerreotypes and autochromes, the place is an essential place of memory, where the most important collection of postcards and old films on Mauritius is also exposed. It is a real institution, which Tristan and Marie-Noëlle have fought for decades to try to transform into the National Photographic Archives of Mauritius. This hard-fought battle, which we hope will one day succeed, is worth a visit, especially since many of the photos are truly exceptional and the museum holds some rare items such as this lens made by Charles Chevalier for Jacques Daguerre in 1839 or this very first camera, which, go figure, was bought by a Mauritian at the time. On the spot, one can acquire postcards, books and prints of old photos.