Did HCB Henri-Cartier-Bresson develop the negatives by himself?

[kiemchacsu]

Well, we probably all knew about his famous printers who handled most of his prints. However I haven’t found any evidence about how his films were processed?
Has anyone have any idea about this?
Thanks!


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[DanskDynamit]

"In 1937, Cartier-Bresson married a Javanese dancer, Ratna Mohini.[11] They lived in a fourth-floor servants' flat in Paris at 19, rue Neuve-des-Petits-Champs (now rue Danielle Casanova), a large studio with a small bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom where Cartier-Bresson developed film".
source: Wikipedia

"He insisted that his works not be cropped but otherwise disdained the technical side of photography; the Leica was all he ever wanted to use; he wasn't interested in developing his own pictures".
source: The New York Times

 

[kshapero]

HCB was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. This means he never got his hands dirty.

 

[Erik van Straten]

"In 1937, Cartier-Bresson married a Javanese dancer, Ratna Mohini.[11] They lived in a fourth-floor servants' flat in Paris at 19, rue Neuve-des-Petits-Champs (now rue Danielle Casanova), a large studio with a small bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom where Cartier-Bresson developed film".

This is correct.

Everyone should read the biography of Henri Cartier-Bresson by Pierre Assouline and also the small but great book "Interviews and Conversations 1951-1998", edited by Clément Chéroux and Julie Jones. Aperture, 2017.

Erik.

 

[Highway 61]

From 1950 onwards, after Pierre Gassman launched his "Pictorial Service" lab in Paris (changed into "PICTO" in 1963), HCB's negatives were developed at Pictorial / PICTO and noticeably printed by Georges Fèvre.

Before, that's hard to tell. "Here and there" would be the most accurate answer.

About the negatives not being cropped : John Loengard brought out some evidence of exceptions to the iron rule in his book "Celebrating the Negative" published by Arcade Publishing in 1994.

See :

https://greg-neville.com/2012/01/07/negative-secrets/

 

[Erik van Straten]

From 1950 onwards, after Pierre Gassman open his PICTO lab in Paris, HCB's negatives were developed at PICTO and noticeably printed by Georges Fèvre.

Gassmann printed Henri's pictures already in the 1930's. See the book by Assouline.

Henri bought his first miniature camera, a Krauss Eka, in 1931 in Africa. As far as I know, it used 35mm unperforated film, so the actual negatives could be, and indeed were, lager than those made with a Leica.

Erik.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

HCB was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. This means he never got his hands dirty.

So. He didn't fight with nazies, he didn't escaped three times. Nor he was living by hunting and getting paid for. And he followed China Red Army in the golden zeppelin.

How long the true proletarian will last in the place where person you photograph is getting killed few hours later?

 

[Highway 61]

Gassmann printed Henri's pictures already in the 1930's.

Yes, from time to time in Gassman's apartment rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Paris.
They had met in 1933 : then HCB went to the other side of the Atlantic for two years. Gassman didn't and I doubt that HCB's negatives shot in Mexico and the USA were to be developed by Gassman when HCB came back to France in 1936, wanting to become a movie director.

Then from 1939 to 1946 he couldn't stay in close touch with Pierre Gassman, for reasons everybody knows.

The same after the war when he spent several years in various far foreign countries, burning about 850 rolls of film, before he came back to France in 1950 with Ratna. I doubt he was sending them to Gassman by mail then.

 

[Erik van Straten]

He was sending them to Magnum in New York.

Later on Gassmann had laboratories in New York too.

Erik.

 

[Highway 61]

He was sending them to Magnum in New York.

Magnum didn't exist before 1947 so it remains quite unclear where Henri's negatives shot in 1934-1936 and 1939-1946 were developed.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Magnum didn't exist before 1947 so it remains quite unclear where Henri's negatives shot in 1934-1936 and 1939-1946 were developed.

I presume he did it himself. Not very difficult, developing film. I already did it perfectly when I was twelve.

Erik.

 

[Geo Toreno]

HCB was a staunch enthusiast and heavy user of 777 fine grain developer.

see paragraph 9:
https://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/Harvey/harvey.html

 

[Dogman]

He did it until he didn't have to. Then he had others do it for him.

 

[Erik van Straten]

He did it until he didn't have to. Then he had others do it for him.

How do you know that? Did he told you?


Erik.

 

[kiemchacsu]

it turns out that a simple question has led to interesting discussion about photography history.
And yes, while he bulk loaded the films by himseld, he send his films out to develop under his strict supervision. Below context was some time in 1965 in India:

Surprisingly, all the technical work of processing Cartier-Bresson’s negatives and photos was to be done at NID under his strict supervision. It was known that precise processing of his negatives was vitally important to Cartier-Bresson. In fact, in the matter of processing his films he trusted no one but one particular lab in Paris.

Source: http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2011/09/09/my-time-with-henri-cartier-bresson-by-ishu-patel/

 

[ptpdprinter]

And yes, while he bulk loaded the films by himseld, he send his films out to develop under his strict supervision.

What exactly is "strict supervision"? Did he stand around and watch them develop his film? Maybe "strict instructions" is more accurate.

 

[Geo Toreno]

This is correct.

Everyone should read the biography of Henri Cartier-Bresson by Pierre Assouline and also the small but great book "Interviews and Conversations 1951-1998", edited by Clément Chéroux and Julie Jones. Aperture, 2017.

Erik.

Thank you for mentioned the book, Erik.
Very interesting, he started doing his own developing and printing when he was twenty. He always did his own developing when he was traveling, in the hotel sink, and changed the film under the bedcovers ("Interviews and Conversations 1951-1998", edited by Clément Chéroux and Julie Jones. Aperture, 2017), Interview with Byron Dobell (1957).

 

[Erik van Straten]

Yes, thank you, Toreno!


Erik.

 

[Majki]

So. He didn't fight with nazies, he didn't escaped three times. Nor he was living by hunting and getting paid for. And he followed China Red Army in the golden zeppelin.

How long the true proletarian will last in the place where person you photograph is getting killed few hours later?

<3
Best Amswer. Good question🙂

 

[Highway 61]

Thank you for mentioned the book, Erik.
Very interesting, he started doing his own developing and printing when he was twenty. He always did his own developing when he was traveling, in the hotel sink, and changed the film under the bedcovers ("Interviews and Conversations 1951-1998", edited by Clément Chéroux and Julie Jones. Aperture, 2017), Interview with Byron Dobell (1957).

Actually this book was first published in French in Dec. 2013 by the Centre Pompidou under the title : "Voir est un tout. Entretiens et conversations (1951-1998)". Edited by Clément Chéroux and Julie Jones this is a compilation of 11 interviews with various people and a "Questionnaire de Proust" HCB played with.

Besides its "Interviews and conversations" subtitle, the French main title literally says : "Seeing is the whole thing".

It is a pity that the English title omits this. This is not of zero importance.

In the interview with Richard L. Simon (1952) HCB mentions an American lab named "Leco" he used to order developments and prints from when he was living in the USA.