Lartigue. Jacques-Henri Lartigue. (Aperture History of Photography Series No. 5)

Aperture, 1976. Essay by Ezra Bowen. Includes Lartigue's remarkable stop action photos taken as a youth. Features: France; Snapshots; Child Photographers; Sports; and Photography of Motion. Hardcover, VG+. Summary:

Jacques-Henri Lartigue (1976), the fifth volume in the prestigious Aperture History of Photography Series, serves as a foundational introduction to the work of the "greatest amateur" of the 20th century. With an introduction by Ezra Bowen, the book distills Lartigue’s massive personal archive into a narrative of pure, uninhibited visual joy. 

Bowen’s introduction provides critical narrative structure to Lartigue’s life. He emphasizes that Lartigue was a "catcher of moments" who used the camera as a magical tool to stop time. Bowen helps the reader understand that Lartigue wasn't trying to be an "artist"—he was simply trying to prevent his happiest memories from evaporating.

Core Focus and Historical Context

1. The Child Prodigy

The book focuses heavily on Lartigue’s early work (1900–1920), produced while he was a young boy in a wealthy French family. It illustrates a unique moment in photographic history where a child, gifted with a camera, captured the world without the burden of artistic "rules" or commercial pressure.

2. The Belle Époque in Motion

Lartigue was obsessed with the newness of the 20th century. The volume highlights his fascination with speed and flight, featuring:

• Early Aviation: Clunky, experimental gliders and biplanes taking flight.

• Automobile Racing: Famous shots of race cars with distorted wheels (a result of the camera's focal-plane shutter).

• The "Beautiful People": Elegant women walking in the Bois de Boulogne, captured with a candid, "snapshot" energy that predated modern street photography.

3. The "Discovery" of Lartigue

The book provides context on how Lartigue remained unknown to the art world until 1963, when John Szarkowski curated a show of his work at MoMA. This Aperture volume solidifies his transition from a private hobbyist to a recognized master of spontaneity.

Technical and Aesthetic Style

• Frozen Moments: Unlike the stiff, posed portraits of the era, Lartigue’s images are full of people jumping, running, and falling. The book emphasizes his ability to "stop time" during the peak of an action.

• Informality: The photographs feel surprisingly modern. Because Lartigue was photographing his family and friends, there is an intimacy and playfulness—such as his famous shots of his brother "Zissou" testing home-made flying machines.

• The Diary Aesthetic: The collection reflects Lartigue’s lifelong habit of keeping a visual diary, emphasizing that for him, photography was a way to preserve the happiness of the present moment.

Summary Takeaway

This Aperture monograph is a celebration of the "Leica spirit" before the Leica existed. It presents Lartigue not as a professional documentarian, but as an artist of intuition who captured the exuberance of a vanishing French aristocracy. It remains an essential volume for understanding the roots of candid photography and the beauty of the "uncomplicated" gaze.