Robert Doisneau: The Vogue Years

From high-society balls and fashion shoots to portraits of artists and scenes from urban life in France, this volume showcases Doisneau’s best photographs for Vogue Paris.

Celebrated photographer Robert Doisneau worked for Vogue from 1948 until 1952,illustrating a post-war France filled with a renewed zest for life. His little-known images of haute couture featured models like Brigitte Bardot and Bettina, who he photographed in the studio and out on the streets. He chronicled the members of the Café Society in their stately homes and at glamorous costume galas, dancing the night away. Best known for his humanist approach, he masterly captured scenes from everyday life—from the grace of a wedding procession over a footbridge to the petulance of a child impatient for cake.

Doisneau’s photographs captured the spirit of the era, featuring celebrities like KarenBlixen, Picasso, Colette, and Jean Cocteau, jazz musicians, movie stars, and humble craftsmen at work. Legendary Vogue editor in chief Edmonde Charles-Roux’s personal homage to the photographer—who was her friend and colleague—offers intimate insight into the man behind the camera, as complex and beautiful as the people and places he immortalized.