Collection De Dion-Bouton
The so-called "De Dion-Bouton" collection is made up of approximately 600 glass photographic plates dating back to the beginning of the twentieth century. They are now kept in the National Car and Tourism Museum in Compiègne but were originally found in Puteaux in the former premises of the De Dion-Bouton Company, a French automobile manufacturer, created at the beginning of the 1880's. One of its founders was the marquis, Albert de Dion, an industrialist and politician who is also famous for creating the French Automobile Club. The company itself, with its cars and its rallies, may well be one of the most important themes of the collection, but nevertheless there is an incredible diversity of subjects photographed. Many plates in the collection are related to tourism but there are also portraits and pictures from family and everyday life and even a few seconds of film shot in 16mm.
