Le Rectangle

Le Rectangle was a professional association of French illustration and advertising photographers created in 1937 and disbanded in 1946 to be replaced by Le Groupe des XV.

Context

In the first half of the twentieth century France, after Germany, was a major publisher of picture magazines including Paris-Soir, Le Monde-Illustré, Art et Décoration, Art et Médecine, l’Illustration, La Gazette, Le Jardin des Modes, Candide, Gringoire, Détective, Voilà, Marianne, Faits Divers, Sourire, Photo-Monde, Regards, Ce Soir, Vu, Partout-Paris, Paris-Magazine and Paris Match.

Aside from the few salaried staff photographers, an array of photo-agences national and international, and representing many hundreds of freelance photojournalists and photographers, supplied the imagery; Agence ROL, Trampus, Harlingue, Meurisse, Service General de la Presse, Alban, Achay, Buffotot, Mondial Photo Presse, Vereenidge Fotobureaux, Foto Bureau, Giraudon, Stella Presse, Agence France-Presse, Arax, Chevjolon, Actualites Photos, Press-Cliche, Compagnie Aerienne Francaise, Centropress, Ecce Photo, Aral, Dephot, Les Illustres Francais, Photothek, Interphotos, Bulgur, Rapho, Schostal, etc., among them.

On the eve of World War II however, the dominance of photography in the French illustrated press slowed and had once again to compete for publication against drawing.

At l'Exposition internationale des arts et des techniques dans la vie moderne, under the Eiffel Tower, for the first time a panel (Groupe XIV) was formed to display advertising, including the work of photographers, of which its president Léon Rénier, of l’Agence Havas proclaimed;

"Animator of modern life, generator of progress. Advertising cannot be separated from the activity of our time with the rhythm of which it is closely associated. It uses producers of all kinds to manifest itself. Artists, craftsmen, workers, work for it in large numbers, without counting those who, in the industries it animates and develops, live indirectly from its action."

Foundation

French photographers were quick to react, led by Emmanuel Sougez, who after extensive artistic training at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux, with experience in Switzerland and across Europe, had been directing the photographic department of the prestigious magazine l’Illustration since 1926. In 1937 he founded Le Rectangle to defend the trade against amateurism exemplified in offerings at the great exhibitions of 1936 and 1937, with consequent diminishing public respect, recognising that, in this development, the “country of Niepce,” was most at fault;

“While other nations bestowed on it confidence and credit, in France, which is nevertheless the country of Niépce, photography has been ridiculed for too long by no one knows what absurd judgments. The professional photographer (…), even now in certain circles, is considered a grotesque being, a pretentious failure”. So much so that the favour which Niépce’s invention enjoys today “comes from elsewhere,” from these “Germans and their neighbours in Central Europe now held to be the best photographers in the world”, who “invaded France, suffocating our poor colleagues”.

Members

The founding members were photographers based then in Paris; Pierre Adam (at 26, rue des Plantes), Marcel Arthaud (14, rue Alfred-Roll), Serge Boiron (16, rue Duphot), Louis Caillaud (I, rue Claude-Matrat, Issy-les-Moulineaux), André Garban (50, rue des Martyrs), Pierre Jahan (14, rue Lafontaine), Henri Lacheroy (14, rue Lafontaine), Gaston Paris (27, boulevard des Italiens), Philippe Pottier (55, rue de Verneuil), Jean Roubier 68, rue Boursault), Emmanuel Sougez (9, rue Bourdaloue, Paris), and René Servant (29, rue Condé), and the only woman, Yvonne Chevalier (117, boulevard Jourdan).

Ethos

Sougez explained the origin of the name of the group in June 1938, a year after its birth, in an article in Photo-Illustrations:

"A few isolated people, he writes, meet around the same ideas, a common love of their profession. And a group is formed: three, five, ten, thirteen... Here is the Rectangle. This name, suggested by Pierre Adam during the initial discussions, was adopted for its regularity and harmony, as well as its rigor and discipline. Because the Rectangle is subject to strict laws".

He continued to explain that this "Association of French Illustration and Advertising Photographers" was to be an affirmation of the profession, bringing together "irreproachable technicians," because "photography is a complex and delicate profession, which requires knowledge and long experience. . could only be practiced honourably after years of practice, with the help of qualities, some of which are innate, precise equipment and a thorough knowledge of its subsequent applications." Le Rectangle also evinced a degree of chauvinism in its claim to bring "together in a sought-after eclecticism the best elements of French photography in all its branches and applications".

In his article for Photo-Illustrations, whose headquarters at rue Saint-Jacques served as that of the new association, Sougez noted that a "rare brotherly solidarity" unites the members of the association. Meetings were held with a dinner at the homes of members in turn with business, according to Pierre Jahan, in the same article, being "what interested us, photography,” but excluded operational issues of individual members, copyright for example, which they dealt with themselves. Headquarters in 1941 moved to the Société Française de Photographie, 51, rue de Clichy, though the Occupation suspended activities for a time and membership altered too, with Marcel Bovis being admitted on June 14, 1941. Serge Boiron in his absence was replaced in his duties as treasurer by René Servant and Tuefferd joined the group. Marcel Arthaud took the initiative in this period of war, to create "a small mutual aid service to help out comrades, momentarily short of a product or an essential equipment". Pierre Jahan solicits his comrades for the Artisanal Exhibition of the Ministry of Production, for which he has the mission of organizing the participation of photographers.

Exhibitions

The group showed together in the 1937 Exposition Internationale, Galerie d'Art et Industrie, in Paris, but the "First Salon" of the Rectangle, a show of all thirteen members' works, was inaugurated on January 25, 1938 in the gallery of François Tuefferd, his 'Chasseur d'images'. Georges Besson, author of a history of photography, sees in examples "par excellence" in this exhibition "the triumph of technique in the service of taste over successes and games of chance (...), a return of French photography to the simplicity and loyalty of its origins perpetuated by Nadar" In Beaux-Arts, Renée Moutard-Uldry praised its "a few irreproachable technicians, intelligent artists and of sure taste [who] have understood that it was necessary to take stock "after the unreasonable ordeal of the [National] Exhibition" They also showed in the 1938 Salon International de la Photo, Paris, and the 1942 Exposition Nationale Artisanale, Paris.

Demise

In 1944, the association, seeking to revive itself, at its General Assembly of December 16 in an attempt to bring together more professional illustrative photographers it was decided to recruit Laure Albin-Guillot, Gilbert Boisgontier, Pierre Boucher, Robert Doisneau, Daniel Masclet, Fernande Papillon, Roger Parry, Roger Schall, Jean Séerberger, René Zuber and François Vals, but to no avail. Despite a new board being formed with Arthaud made president, Sougez as honorary president, Roubier vice-president, Jahan general secretary and Pottier, treasurer, Le Rectangle proved moribund.

In August 1944, Paris was liberated, but for some, Louis Caillaud, Rémy Duval, André Vigneau, René Zuber, their career had come to an end, while the photographic profession itself took some time to return to full activity. A younger generation proved enthusiastic and in 1946, the Groupe des XV was formed to include Marcel Bovis, Yvonne Chevalier, Henri Lacheroy, Philippe Pottier, René Jacques, Emmanuel Sougez and François Tuefferd from Le Rectangle, joined by Marcel Amson and Lucien Lorelle, Jean-Marie Auradon, Jean Michaud and Jean Séeberger, Daniel Masclet, Robert Doisneau, Willy Ronis, Pierre Jahan, M. Ichac and Thérèse le Prat, before the resignations of Tuefferd and Chevalier resign. Internal rules are drawn up based on those of Le Rectangle with admissions also made on the proposal of the members of the group, not on official candidacy, and decided by secret ballot. This is again a collegial circle. "Each member," wrote Garban, 'formally undertakes to respect the spirit of loyalty and frankness which is the very basis of the group' On November 8, 1946, Julien Cain, general administrator, inaugurated the first National Salon of Photography at the National Library, in the Mansart gallery.