About
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Portrait : Sébastien Lemagnen
Initially based in Toulouse’s Antiquaires district, Sébastien Lemagnen moved to rue de Vaugirard in Paris in 2007. Halfway between a museum and a cabinet of curiosities, his boutique-gallery is a unique universe where antique cameras, 19th-century photographic prints and processes, primitive film cameras, optical and scientific toys rub shoulders.
After a career as a photographer in a Parisian press agency, he turned to the history of photographic and cinematographic processes. A fierce self-taught man, Sébastien is a passionate and patient explorer. Constantly on the lookout for new items, he ventures into private homes, collectors’ houses and auction rooms – in France and abroad – in search of rare objects and documents, in order to reveal their history.
The diversity of his profession means that he is as interested in photographic and (pre)cinematographic equipment as he is in the very production of these objects. As a result, he has become one of the world’s leading specialists in the history of these techniques, covering a wide range of creative cycles, from the invention of the daguerreotype to silver photography, from the first moving images to the birth of cinema.
Enriched by the singularity of each discovery, his experience is one of trial and error, always with the aim of tracing the origins of objects. The countless techniques that emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries are a constant source of wonder for him. Such as the magic of shadow theater, the appearance of relief, the first automata, light projections, the unique image of the daguerreotype, the sparkle of the first cinematographic projections… Inventions that have inspired him, for over twenty years, an immoderate passion for his craft.
Through encounters and experiences, Sébastien Lemagnen has acquired a reputation that enables him to embellish, both personally and professionally, his highly demanding approach to his work.
His new boutique-gallery – opened in 2013 opposite the first – is a sought-after venue for enthusiasts, collectors and, of course, the photographers themselves. Custodian of the thousand and one treasures of modern technology, it allows them the most extraordinary encounters with the first photographic and cinematographic processes, but also with the world of toys and scientific, optical, acoustic, electrical or astronomical devices.
From photography to cinematography
1839-1895
“We buy for private collectors, institutions and museums”
Our shops are prized by amateurs, collectors, and photographers alike. You are welcome to discover our photography, (pre)cinema equipment, cameras, scientific, technical, acoustic, optical, electrical or astronomical toys, in a warm and unusual setting.
Do not hesitate to stop by the shop for a piece of advice or an appraisal regarding an item or a collection.
We’ll welcome you with open arms at 11 & 16 rue de Vaugirard in Paris, in the 6th district, from Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 7 PM.
11 & 16 RUE DE VAUGIRARD, 75 006 PARIS
Phone +33 (0) 9 81 92 92 90 // Mobile +33 (0) 6 77 82 58 93
The Antiq-Photo Gallery is open from Monday to Saturday from 10 AM to 7 PM or by appointment.
