Gustave Viaud
Gustave Viaud (April 25, 1836 – March 10, 1865) was a French naval surgeon born in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime on 25 April 1836 and died off Ceylon, present-day Sri Lanka, on 10 March 1865.
Gustave Viaud

Marie Bon, née Viaud (1831-1908), sœur de Gustave et de Julien (Pierre Loti) Cf. https: pierreloti.eu/?p=2564. · Public domain
- Name
- Gustave Viaud
- Born
- 25 April 1836
- Birthplace
- Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
- Died
- 10 March 1865
- Place of death
- off Ceylon
- Occupation
- Naval surgeon
- Known for
- The first photographer of Tahiti
- Nationality
- France
- Languages
- French
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Gustave Viaud (April 25, 1836 – March 10, 1865) was a French naval surgeon born in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime on 25 April 1836 and died off Ceylon, present-day Sri Lanka, on 10 March 1865.
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wikidata · Q3121348 · wikipedia · Gustave Viaud
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Gustave Viaud • Born — 25 April 1836 • Birthplace — Rochefort, Charente-Maritime • Died — 10 March 1865 • Place of death — off Ceylon • Occupation — Naval surgeon • Known for — The first photographer of Tahiti
Biography
Biography
Viaud was the elder brother of the writer Pierre Loti. He arrived in Tahiti in 1859 and worked in Taravao and the nearby islands, becoming the first photographer of Tahiti. Viaud had a camera that required very long exposure times of between 5 and 15 minutes, which forced him to take only landscapes. Gustave Viaud left 25 photographs of Papeete which constitute as many historical documents. He left Tahiti in 1862 before being appointed to Cochinchina. The International Hydrographic Organization named Viaud Ridge after him in 1993. The ridge is an underwater mountain range in the Indian Ocean, located near where he died and where he was submerged the day after his death.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1836
Gustave Viaud born at Rochefort.
1865
Gustave Viaud died at Indian Ocean.
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Rochefort.
Birth place
Indian Ocean.
Death place
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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