Séeberger frères - Picturing Paris 1900

Exhibition Catalogue Picturing Paris 1900. Séeberger frères, presented at Huis Marseille, Museum for Photography, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (15 February - 22 June 2025).

The precious prints by the Séeberger brothers, held in the collections of the Carnavalet Museum, bring to life, as if by magic, the capital and its inhabitants at the time of the Belle Epoque.

Jules (1872-1932), Louis (1874-1946) and Henri (1876-1956) Séeberger were the first generation of the line of photographers known as the Séeberger brothers. They first came to prominence through amateur competitions, and were published in various magazines and by postcard publishers.

In 1909, their careers took a decisive turn. While officially establishing their family business ‘Séeberger Frères’, a commission for the magazine La Mode pratique marked their debut in fashion photography. This quickly became their speciality, and they were soon in demand from all the French haute couture houses, such as Chanel.

Although they later photographed the French countryside and its holiday resorts, their main subject remained Paris and its inhabitants. With great sensitivity, they took both aesthetic and documentary photographs of the old districts and their inhabitants, as well as of the fashionable gardens and their elegant ladies, crystallising in fascinating images the period we now call the Belle Époque.