A presentation of the photography of Noël le Boyer by the SNCF in railway compartments across France.
In the years following World War II, there were photo exhibition in railways compartment that traveled thru France , free for all to see. The exhibition featured the most beautiful landscapes the country had to offer. There were four circular aluminum frames in each compartment, all the same size (22.7 x 30cm). We know little about what regions, sites and monuments were shown. All we know is that these images were chosen to invite its viewers to dream of travel.
This original and exclusive initiative by the SNCF (the French National Railway Corporation) had an enormous influence on the French collective memory. It also gave visiting foreigners a certain image of France, the France they had come to visit, the France they hoped to see. What luck for the photographer whose work was selected to be displayed! Each picture represented a destination covered by the rail network. The only men and women that appeared in the landscapes were those linked to the land by their trade or leisure activities. But upon closer inspection, although the names of the places, regions and monuments were listed, there was no mention of the photographer’s name… This anonymity suggests that the point of this artistic project was not the discovery of a photographer’s work, but a simple decoration, a kind of commercial tourist brochure.
However this photographer had a name Noël Le Boyer born in Caen in 1883, after his studies he settled in Paris, were he worked for a printer for whom he held various jobs and for whom he made post cards. Around 1914 he freelanced for the newspaper l’Illustration doing fashion, french craftsmanship, advertising, industry and tourism.During the second world war he photographed Paris under occupation by the germans, and worked for the red cross. He then made many reportage for the SNCF
Read the full article on the French version of Le Journal.
