Louis Boutan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louis Boutan
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| Born | 6 March 1859 Versailles, France
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| Died | 6 April 1934 (aged 75) Tigzirt, Algeria
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| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | biologist, photographer |
Louis Marie-Auguste Boutan (born March 6, 1859 – died April 6, 1934) was a French scientist and photographer. He was a true pioneer in the exciting world of underwater photography. He was one of the first people to take clear pictures beneath the ocean's surface.
Contents
Who Was Louis Boutan?
Louis Boutan was born in Versailles, France. He was the son of Augustin Boutan. Louis studied biology and natural history at the University of Paris. This means he learned about living things and the natural world.
Early Life and Discoveries
In 1880, Louis helped organize the French exhibit at a big event in Australia. It was called the Melbourne International Exhibition (1880). He stayed in Australia for a year and a half. During this time, he traveled a lot and found many new types of animals.
In 1886, Boutan became a professor at the University of Lille. In the same year, he learned how to dive underwater. This skill would become very important for his future work.
Exploring Underwater Photography
By 1893, Boutan was a professor at the Laboratoire Arago. This was a special lab for studying the ocean. Here, he worked with his brother, Auguste Boutan. Together, they created special equipment for taking photos underwater.
Louis Boutan wrote an article about his amazing inventions. It was published in a magazine called The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine. The article showed pictures of his underwater cameras. It also included some of the first underwater photographs ever taken!
Boutan also invented a special flash bulb that could work underwater. This helped him take pictures in dark ocean areas. Later, he used powerful arc lights to light up his underwater scenes.
In 1898, he published the very first book about underwater photography. It was called La Photographie sous-marine et les progrès de la photographie. This book shared all his discoveries. His underwater photos were even shown at a huge world fair in Paris in 1900. It was called the Exposition Universelle.
Later Work and Legacy
In 1904, Louis Boutan traveled to Hanoi. He went there to study how to grow better rice. He also investigated how to grow pearl oysters. These are the oysters that make pearls. He returned to France in 1908.
In 1910, he became a professor of zoology at the University of Bordeaux. Zoology is the study of animals. During World War I, Boutan and his brother worked on a special diving suit for the French army.
After the war, he started researching how to make pearls artificially. This means making pearls in a lab or farm, not just finding them in nature. He was one of the first people to study this.
Louis Boutan continued his important work in different places. He became the director of a biological station in Arcachon in 1921. In 1924, he moved to the University of Algiers. He also directed a fishing and aquaculture station in Castiglione. He even became an inspector for the fisheries in Algeria. This meant he helped manage fishing in the area.
Louis Boutan retired in 1929 and moved to Tigzirt in Algeria. He passed away there at the age of 75.
In 2010, Louis Boutan was honored for his amazing work. He was named to the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame. This shows how important his discoveries were for diving and underwater exploration.
Named After Him
A type of fish is named after Louis Boutan! It is called Boutan's whiting (Sillago boutani). This fish was named by Jacques Pellegrin in 1905.
See also
In Spanish: Louis Marie-Auguste Boutan para niños
