“Je ne suis pas un photographe-écrivain-peintre, je suis empailleur des choses que la vie m’o ff re en passant “

“I’m not a photographer-writer-painter, I’m a taxidermist of things that life offers me on the way.” - Jacques Henri Lartigue

Jacques Henri Lartigue (1894-1986) is considered to be one of the leading photographers of the twentieth century. Born just outside of Paris, he began taking photos in 1901, at age seven.

This photo of an automobile race in the 1910s was taken when he was just 18 years old. When I was a young pup in photography school, this image perplexed me. How can one feel such speed from a still photograph? How did he capture the torque of the wheel at 60km? Imagine energy captured at this speed in 1912 – almost unthinkable!

What I wouldn’t give for a time machine and a little courage to strap myself into this protoplane.

Getting down to business (you’re not really here for an art history lesson, after all), here are some Lartigue images that may provide some fashionable fodder for the next Vintage Vivant theme.

Cupid bow lips, dark eyebrows, rhinestone buckles

Parasols, tilted hats, pearl beading on collars

Sculpted finger waves, netting, tilt hats, fur collars Dark, sweeping eye makeup and penciled eye brows.

His muse, beautiful Romanian model, Renee Perle:Posing with an armful of bangles and a 1930s style manicure

For sculpted spit curls like these, cut tiny sections of the hair and sculpt them into place with strong hairspray, secure with hair tape while they dry.

Lartigue was a painter as well.