27 August 2024
By Hélène Rémond
Jean Distel has published a book about the brothers Charles and Jules Yvon, photographers and rowers, Hélène Rémond writes.
As part of the events organized to celebrate the Paris Olympic Games, an exhibition about the Yvon brothers was held in Le Mans. Le Mans is a city in northwestern France known for the greatest motorsport event in the world, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Charles and Jules Yvon were born in Paris, and they were the first French elite athletes to win a regatta abroad, in any sport. That was in Rotterdam, in 1860, in a four. They were precursors of sports photography (1852-1867) too, at a time when photographs representing the practice of boating and rowing were rare. Indeed, the wet plate collodion process made it difficult to capture movement and fleeting gestures. Their production of albumen prints was presented at the 1867 Paris World’s Fair.
A book, Yvon, photographes et canotiers, deux frères précurseurs de la photo sportive (1852-1867), was released on May 24, 2024, by Jean Distel, photographer and member of the Atelier Malicot association which rebuilt The Joseph Malicot photography studio dating back to the end of the 19th century. This was supported by the leading charity organization for French heritage, la Fondation du patrimoine.
The first part of the book concentrates on photography and boating (the quest for immediacy, the influence of the primitives of photography, rowing champion Louis Armet from 1857 to 1861, and the Yvon family) whereas the second part comprises the exhibition catalogue. In the early 1850s, while most Parisian photographers drew their inspiration from mundane settings to portray their contemporaries, a few were interested in real life, like the Yvon brothers, who were the first to photograph sail boats and oared vessels, as well as the athletes. They asked them to strike the pose by suggesting the movement while their boats were tightly moored along the river Seine. The book offers a tremendous source of information with outstanding illustrations, a must-read for rowing lovers and photography lovers alike.
Yvon, photographes et canotiers, deux frères précurseurs de la photo sportive (1852-1867) by Jean Distel (Éditions Atelier Malicot), hardcover, 120 pages, 28 x 22 cm. The book is available to order from the Atelier Malicot’s website. Should French readers be interested in welcoming the travelling exhibition about the Yvon brothers in their city, they can contact the Atelier Malicot.