after the pioneering photographic processes of louis daguerre and henry fox talbot were publicly announced in january 1839, bauer championed niépce's right to be acknowledged as the first inventor of a process for making permanent photographs. on march 9, 1839, the specimens were finally exhibited at the royal society. after bauer's death in 1840 they passed through several hands and were occasionally exhibited as historical curiosities. "view from the window at le gras" was last publicly shown in 1905 and then fell into oblivion for nearly fifty years.