Anonymous wine scenes in France (3)

Joyous group in an ordinary bar (estimated year 1958) Here is another chapter of the series with anonymous wine scenes in France, I started this thing as a one-of-its-kind and with pictures keeping popping up at me in the brocantes and street flea markets here and there, I keep stocking new pictures (which may occasionally feature other, undetermined beverages), so here we go for another voyage back in time to capture the elusive moments of liquid respite in what was certainly a busy life.

These scenes carry a life of their own and allow us to melt into the simple togetherness of that time. Back then these pictures were often low key, people didn't think much about it, they weren't narcissic, frantically-shot selfies but just a souvenir of an ordinary good time (I suspect they had many such good times then though). The other positive aspect of these pictures is to scale down the grandiloquent way we write and speak about wine. Just sit together, open a bottle and have fun, the rest is little more than noise...

I found all these pictures except the last 4 in street flea markets in France, they're glimpses into the families and friends of someone who probably passed away without any surviving close relatives. The 4 pictures at the bottom come from a book with about 100 pictures shot by the great French photographer Robert Doisneau : The book of photos titled La Vie de Famille shows as its name suggests the family life, they were shot in working-class neigborhoods in Paris and nearby between 1950 and 1960.

As usual, when a date and location was written on the back of the picture, I write it down, otherwise I just put the estimated year of the scene (could be off the mark more than once).

Drinking wine in an open filed (est. 1942) French conscripts sharing a bottle (est 1938)
Family reunion (first communion) Est. year 1935 Long summer lunch (est 1948) Family picnic in the woods (est. 1953) Terrace aperitif at home (1938) Sunday lunch in the garden (est. 1905) Woman at a terrace (est. 1955) Dead Sea 1930 - French military Couples in woods (est 1926) Woman drinking at the bottle atop a tree stump (est. 1952) Family in the garden (est. 1938) Man pouring a glass of wine with car in background (est. 1912) Woman drinking from the carafe eyes closed (est. 1981) Picnicking family (est. 1930) Couple eating near their car (Vetheuil 3rd of june 1962) Men drinking Pastis on a terrace (est. 1951) Wedding cocktail (est. 1948) Couple enjoying good time in the woods (est. 1928) Family with bottles at a table (est. 1950) Women drinking wine directly from the bottle (est. 1928) Banquet, 27th of june 1947 Home scene with tea and spirits (printed on Ridax paper - est. 1941) Party along lake or sea (Easter 1946) Couple in Paris appartment (est. 1949) Tea or spirits, summer in the garden (est. 1900) Summer lunch in the backyard (est. 1955) Family at lunch__with water (Robert Doisneau circa 1950) Working-class family at lunch (Robert Doisneau circa 1950) Parents in kitchen with 5 children (Robert Doisneau circa 1950) Family lunch in the shade (Robert Doisneau circa 1957)

Comments

[W H Owen]

Great collection. The beauty of black and white. The Doisneau prints are beautiful.

Thanks, Owen

[Cyril]

Merci pour ces tranches de nostalgie!