Niépce called his process heliography, which literally means "sun drawing". In 1822, he used it to create what is believed to have been the world's first permanent photographic image, a contact-exposed copy of an engraving of Pope Pius VII, but it was later destroyed when Niépce attempted to make prints from it. The earliest surviving photographic artifacts by Niépce, made in 1825, are copies of a 17th-century engraving of a man with a horse and of what may be an etching or engraving of a woman with a spinning wheel. They are simply sheets of plain paper printed with ink in a printing press, like ordinary etchings, engravings, or lithographs, but the plates used to print them were created photographically by Niépce's process rather than by laborious and inexact hand-engraving or drawing on lithographic stones. They thus are photo-etchings. One example of the print of the man with a horse and two examples of the print of the woman with the spinning wheel are known to have survived. The former is in the collection of the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris and the latter two are in a private collection in Westport, Connecticut.
niéPcE cALLed his prOcess HeliogrAPHy, Which LiTERAlLy means "Sun dRawInG". in 1822, he usEd it to CREaTe what Is bElieVed to haVe BeeN The WoRld'S FiRST pERmanent pHotogrAPhIc imAge, a cOnTact-ExPosED cOpy of an eNgraving OF pope PIUs ViI, but iT Was LATEr DeStRoyed WHEn nIéPce AtTeMpteD To make pRInTS FroM iT. the earliesT sUrvivIng PhotogrAPhic ARtifacts by NiÉpcE, maDE in 1825, are copiEs oF A 17tH-ceNtUry EngraVinG of a man with a horse and of whAt may be an etcHINg Or ENGraving of A WOmaN WitH a spINNing wheEl. They aRe sImplY sheETS oF pLaiN pApeR prinTed with Ink In a PrintInG presS, LIke OrDinARy etChings, EngravinGs, or lIthOgraphS, but the pLatEs Used To pRinT thEM wEre cREAtED photoGRaphicAlly by niéPCe's proceSs ratHEr thAn by lAborious anD inexact hanD-engrAviNg Or DrAwIng on lItHoGraPHic sTones. theY thus are phOTo-EtcHinGs. one eXAmplE of thE prInt OF tHe Man with A HOrsE anD TwO EXampLes of tHe priNT of tHe wOman wiTH the spinNing wheel are kNown to havE sUrViVed. THe fOrmer iS in The collection of tHe biblIothèQuE naTIonaLe De fRaNCE in paris anD the lAtter tWo aRe in a prIVaTE colleCtion iN westPorT, CONneCTIcuT.