Title: Boyhood Photos of J.H. Lartigue
Author: J.H. Lartigue
Publisher: Ami Guichard, 1966
Text and photographs by J.H. Lartigue; 164 pages, sepia toned illustrations
Jacques-Henri Lartigue was a mere seven years old when he began taking his first photographs. This extraordinary collection of his work is a rare glimpse into everyday life in Europe during the Gilded Age. Though Lartigue would necessarily be classified an amateur photographer at such a young age, there is a sophisticated youthfulness about each of the images, creating a perfect harmony between Lartigue’s eye on the world as a wondrous child, and the technological advancements made at the turn of the 20th century. Like many little boys of the Belle Époque, automobiles, airplanes, and racing cars fascinated him, but he also had a tender and perceptive eye for the personalities, idiosyncrasies, and hobbies of his friends and family. The sepia-toned photographs are presented just as one would arrange a family album. Events are intermingled with snapshots, portraits, and personal captions to create a nostalgic and touching volume on prosperous European life before the outbreak of World War I.
