In July 1816, the Company of Encouragement for the National Industry had launched a competition with the purpose of finding in France calcareous stones (limestone)that could be used in lithography. The award for this competition was 600 francs. M. de la Chabeaussiere, who had been informed of the competition ,told Claude, who remembered the limestone on which his nephew engraved his drawing.
He immediatly asked Nicephore to send a sample of this stone, and also to find information about its origin and the possibilities of exploiting the quarry where it came from.




Lithographic stone

Senefelder's book, inventor of lithography
Nicephore wrote his brother on July 8th 1816 :“As soon as we shall be back to St.Loup,I shall endeavor myself, my dear friend,to perform the task you ask me to do on behalf of M.de la Chabeaussiere. I shall do it without any doubt as you know ,with a double pleasure as it will please you and oblige him.I will join to this mail the little oval stone already cut that Isidore used, and that could be put to use right away for this new type of engraving.“

Niépce will then explore the region in search of a lime stone quarry.