The everyday moments are no less theatrical. From a dog jumping over a puddle to a mime imitating strangers on the street, our world is a prominent stage for fleeting realities. Due to such irreplaceable moments, street photography continues to be so timeless. While French photographer Henri-Cartier Bresson called such instances ‘the decisive moment,’ his friend, Robert Doisneau, wholeheartedly put it to the test. A Parisian photographer, Doisneau has captured some of the most remarkable photographs of his time, leading to the culmination of a spectacular photo book, Un Certain.
The lead image is a screenshot of Robert Doisneau’s Un Certain. Courtesy Burman Rare Books.
Robert Doisneau’s Tumultanous Journey
If you liked Henri, then you will certainly love Doisneau. Much of the photographer’s early life was not entirely exciting, with his artistic career beginning at the age of 15. Belonging to a middle-class family, Robert Doisneau studied engraving and lithography at the École Estienne in Paris. In the meantime, he took stints as a label designer for drug packaging. In 1931, after graduating, he made his first foray into photography as a camera assistant at advertising photographer André Vigneau’s studio. There, he encountered artists and writers with avant-garde ideas, a movement that was transforming the French art world rapidly. These meetings changed something in him, and Robert Doisneau chose photography as his career.
Three years later, after building his artistic vision, Doisneau began to work for Renault, a car maker, where he was an industrial and advertising photographer. In 1939, he was fired due to often being late to work, but he continued to make a living independently with his advertising and postcard photography. But all this changed drastically when World War II knocked on Doisneau’s door. His ability to capture the drama led him to the Rapho photographic agency, representing stalwarts like André Kertész and Edouard Boubat. During the War, he was a soldier and a photographer for the French resistance, where he showed his support until the liberation of Paris.
While Robert Doisneau captured human expression unlike any other during the war, his style developed more so after the battle. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Doisneau captured advertising, fashion, and street images. He was a staff member for LIFE magazine and Vogue, and his pictures reflected the zest, bliss, and euphoria of post-war Paris. The photographer employed the vibrancy on the streets of Paris for his images, which helped him become the most renowned photographer of his time.
The Life And Character of His Photobooks
“The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street,” said Doisneau once, and it echoes in so much of his journey. While he photographed some of the most famous people of his time—Alberto Giacometti, Jean Cocteau, and Pablo Picasso—his best pictures came from his arena, the streets of Paris.
His first book, La Banlieue de Paris (“The Suburbs of Paris”), published in 1949, marked the start of a prolific period. After this, Doisneau published 20 more photobooks highlighting Paris and its inhabitants. One of his renowned works is Un Certain, featuring some of the most iconic images of his career, for instance, the utterly amazing photograph of Picasso, where Doisneau juxtaposes the bread on the table with the painter’s hands. It is a witty picture, showing Doisneau’s keen eye for his humanistic approach and incredible sense of humor. The same book also features another incredible photograph titled Le baiser de l’hôtel de Ville, which is also known as The Kiss. The image was reportedly captured for a love-themed magazine issue. Little did Doisneau know that this image will live in the annals of street photography as the hopelessly romantic photograph of all time. One could say it even comes close to The Kiss by Alfred Eisenstaedt. However, unlike the former picture, the latter was actually staged.
In the pages of Un Certain, one will find a man’s immense love for his city and his people. Armed with Roliflex, Doisneau captured every nook and corner of the city, from architecture to people to animals. “He felt comfortable everywhere, in the poor areas and the posh districts of Paris. What he enjoyed most was to show all the facets of Paris even if he had a particular fondness for Paris’s children and its working class,” said Francine Deroudille, Robert Doisneau’s daughter. Looking back at his black-and-white photographs, one cannot help but fall in love with a city one has never been to. It’s no wonder he earned the title of ‘humanist photographer.’
Doisneau passed away in 1994, leaving behind a treasure trove of a vivacious collection of 450,000 negatives and his profound love for humanity.
Robert Doisneau’s inscribed copy of Un Certain is now available on Burman Rare Book’s website.