Cassie

Mourning Ring

c. 1770-1830

Gold, jet, glass, hair

Madeleine ‘Bibi’ Messager (1900–1982): She was the daughter of the famous composer and conductor André Messager. Bibi was Lartigue's first wife (marriage in 1919) and his most important muse in the 1920s. For him, she embodied a mixture of quiet elegance and joie de vivre. The marriage ended in divorce in 1931, but the hundreds of photos of her document the glamorous lifestyle of the French elite of the time.

Olga Day: A silent film actress who was active in Paris in the late 1920s. She gained fame through films such as Casanova (1927) and Le Chasseur de chez Maxim’s (1927). In Lartigue's circle, she represented the fashionable chic and self-confidence of the ‘new woman’.

Michèle Verly (1909–1952): She was also an actress and a familiar face in Parisian society. Lartigue often photographed her in sporting contexts, such as in his Amilcar sports car, which underscored the emancipated spirit of the 1920s.

The unknown woman: The fourth woman in the group is often simply referred to as ‘a friend’ or another member of Olga Day's acting troupe. Research on lesbian subculture often points out that Lartigue photographed a specific group of women who frequented Parisian nightlife in the 1920s (such as the club “Le Monocle”).

2. Lartigue's photographic technique: ‘The fleeting moment’

Lartigue was considered the master of the snapshot long before the term became popular.

Cameras & shutter: In the 1920s, he often used handheld cameras such as the Kodak Brownie or advanced plate cameras. He is famous for his skilful use of the focal-plane shutter; during fast movements (such as racing cars), this led to a characteristic distortion that visualised dynamism.

Spontaneity instead of posing: In contrast to the studio photography that was common at the time, Lartigue photographed people in motion, jumping or in informal moments. He did not wait for the perfect light, but for the ‘feeling of the moment’.

Stereo photography: He took many of his early works, including those from the 1920s, with a stereo camera (e.g. 6x13 cm glass plates) to create three-dimensional depth.

Colour: Lartigue was a pioneer of the Autochrome process, an early colour photography process that he used for his private portraits as early as 1912.

What is special about ‘Les Garçonnes’ is that it uses this technical freedom to make a social taboo (women in men's clothing) seem almost casual and natural.

The ‘Garçonne’ style: More than just fashion

The term comes from Victor Margueritte's novel La Garçonne (1922). The book caused a scandal because it described a woman who led a completely independent, sexually liberated life.

Visual rebellion: The look (short hair, flat chest achieved with bandages, masculine clothing) was a direct attack on the Victorian image of women.

Androgyny & LGBTQ+: In Paris, the style became a distinguishing feature of lesbian and bisexual circles, especially in the clubs of Montparnasse (such as the famous Le Monocle). Women such as Radclyffe Hall and Tamara de Lempicka shaped this image.

Sport & mobility: The clothing was functional. Women wanted to play tennis, drive cars and dance (Charleston) without being restricted by corsets.

Similar works by Jacques Henri Lartigue

If you like the style of ‘Les Garçonnes’, you will also find these photographs fascinating, as they exude the same energy and elegance:

Work Year Description

‘Renée Perle in Biarritz’ 1930 Portraits of his later lover Renée, who was known for her extreme elegance and wide-leg trousers (‘palazzo pants’).

‘Bibi at the Restaurant de la Paix’ 1920 An intimate look at his wife Bibi smoking a cigarette – a sign of emancipation at the time.

‘Zissou in the Tyre’ 1911 (Early) Shows his brother Maurice experimenting with movement; demonstrates Lartigue's focus on dynamism.

‘Bibi in the Amilcar’ 1929 Bibi at the wheel of a sports car; a symbol of women's technological and social freedom.

Lartigues' legacy