Robert Doisneau (1912-1994) - 'Stricte Intimité' Paris 1945

Dimension - 16 x 16. 5cm

Antique & Authentic
Original Photogravure Paper Proof

Professional single-unit hand print

Photogravure based on the original photograph by Robert Doisneau

This previously unpublished photogravure print was found in the archives of a former art print shop, deep in the recesses of an editing workshop, carefully stored flat in an envelope away from light. Although it is 31 years old, it is still in a good state of preservation. The back is slightly soiled from repeated handling by the printer, but the front is in excellent condition.

This unique print, identical to an original photograph, is a marvellous treasure that bears witness to traditional art printing, now a thing of the past.

In 1945, Robert Doisneau recorded a special moment on the rain-soaked pavement of the rue Marcelin Berthelot in Montrouge: a newly-wed couple walking straight into a café-restaurant, with no one around. The white tulle of the bride's dress contrasts with the greyness of the sky. In this image, Doisneau achieves the impossible, capturing ordinary people with ordinary gestures in an ordinary situation.

He signed his photograph like a painting, creating a subtle play on words by titling his shot "Strict intimacy", two human beings as if alone in the world, showing here another facet of his personality, which is humour.

"The quality of a photographer must be the hope of a miracle against all logic. A kind of faith in serendipity. Anything can happen around the corner. I make myself a set, a rectangle, and I wait for actors to come and play I don't know what. Robert Doisneau

Colissimo delivery