This February 2026, Regards Alpins is presenting two exhibitions from the Henry Coufourier photographic archive, taking place simultaneously at the media library of Saint-Jean-Saint-Nicolas (05) and at the municipal library of Le Noyer (05).
Other presentations of the photographs are planned over the course of 2026, notably in Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur and Forest-Saint-Julien (05), as well as in Argentat-sur-Dordogne (19).
Who is Henry Coufourier?
Born on December 16, 1866 in the Aisne, Henry Léopold Coufourier was a renowned horticulturist, nurseryman and botanist based in Carqueiranne (Var), where he died on June 2, 1956. A street in the town bears his name.
A passionate photographer, he travelled—through his professional activities, and certainly also for pleasure—to many places in France and in neighboring countries: Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Monaco… He also brought back several hundred photographs from Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco…
To date, there is no known trace of any use of his photographs by their author during his lifetime (exhibitions, publications, or otherwise). It is therefore nearly 70 years after his death that these photographs are being revealed to the public and that, like Vivian Maier, he is gaining posthumous awareness and recognition!
The discovery of a treasure…
At the end of 2023, Regards Alpins was contacted by the owner of a large number of old photographs that she could no longer preserve or promote.
Volunteers from the association, accompanied by elected officials and partners, went to her home. With astonishment and delight, they discovered a true photographic and heritage treasure, which its owner generously entrusted to the association’s care.
For Regards Alpins, it was absolutely inconceivable that such a collection could disappear and fall into oblivion. The association therefore took the necessary steps, first of all, to secure it. It is now working to ensure its preservation, complete inventory, digitization, and promotion to the widest possible audiences (exhibitions, events, publications…).
The Henry Coufourie fund…
The photographic archive consists mainly of more than 18,000 positive stereoscopic glass plates, carefully classified, numbered, and indexed by their author. Each photograph, taken between the 1910s and the 1940s, is accompanied by a caption recorded in binders compiled by Henry Coufourier himself.
The collection is completed by a substantial set of black-and-white negative stereoscopic plates, several hundred autochromes, as well as paper prints, various documents, and period equipment for taking and viewing photographs.
The archive was appraised by the specialist firm Chol, which confirmed its value and great interest.
Henry Coufourier in the Hautes-Alpes
According to the notes he left in his registers, Henry Coufourier came to the Hautes-Alpes several times between 1913 and 1936. Some of his trips were motivated by his botanical concerns, and he was then accompanied by colleagues, the most renowned being Emile Jahandiez (1876–1938).
Henry Coufourier photographed a very large part of the département, with the apparent exception of the Champsaur and the Dévoluy.
At the current stage of investigations, the photographic archive contains 335 positive stereoscopic plates of views taken in the Valgaudemar, the Briançonnais, the Queyras, along the Durance valley, in Gap, Serres…
Other photographs were taken in neighboring areas (Massif des Ecrins, Valbonnais, Matheyssine, Bérarde, Trièves, Sisteronnais…) and will be gradually revealed…
Discover the photographs of Henry Coufourier
The association Regards Alpins has already presented several exhibitions revealing a small part of the photographs taken by Henry Coufourier in the Alpine massif, in Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur (05), at the Maison de la Photographie de Pisançon (05), at the Musée du Trièves in Mens (38)…
Regards Alpins has published a first brochure presenting a selection of photographs from the Hautes-Alpes (available from the association), and several other brochures are in preparation.
