Paul de Cordon
Encyclopedia
Paul de Cordon was a French
photographer known for his circus
photographs.
in to a Savoyan
noble family
. He was the son of a cavalry
officer. During his childhood, he spent several years in Mainz, Germany
, where his father was garrisoned. It was in Mainz that he began taking photographs using a small camera given to him by his father. Later, he said that he had spent long hours in the shop of an old German photographer, and that is how he began to learn photography. While he lived in Germany he became interested in the circus. In the 1920s, German circuses such as Althoff
were travelling across the country with large crews and many animals.
After his Lycée years, he enrolled in the cavalry. In the army he spent most of his time training horses and riding in steeple chases and military cross. He participated to more than 500 races on various French and European race fields and sometimes won.
In 1940, during World War II
, he was captured in the Ardennes
. After two unsuccessful escape attempts, he was sent to Colditz
. In 1945, the United States Army
set him free. He stayed in the army for a few more months and was affected to the Cadre Noir
in Saumur
.
Jean Devaivre, a figure in the French Resistance
, while he was an underground activist and working for the German-owned Continental Films in Paris. Devaivre asked Cordon to be his assistant. Cordon had always been attracted to the stage, having briefly attended attended Charles Dullin
acting sessions in the 1930s, but his interest in photography was also a key factor in the decision.
In the early 1950s Cordon decided to become a professional photographer. For many years he worked in his Paris
studio for fashion design
ers and advertising agencies
. He began developing a huge personal project on circus and cabaret
. He spent many nights with his camera at the Crazy Horse Saloon, at Medrano or at the Bouglione brothers' Cirque d’Hiver. He also travelled around the world visiting circuses. During these trips, Cordon developed strong links with old circus families such as Schumann, Rancy, Knie and Gruss, with whom he shared a same passion for horses. At this time he wrote several articles for the Swiss
annual Information Hippique on circus horses and riders.
; it is the opposite of luck or accident, but rather a tiny fragment of time when the photographer’s eye catches something that other eyes do not.
One of Cordon’s famous pictures, "Three zebras", shot at the Amsterdam Zoo in 1957 and published all around the world, is an example of something common that suddenly becomes unique. It is also particularly true for another photograph "Amis, Gilbert Houcke and Prince". This image has nothing to do with what is usually referred to as circus photography, it is shot backstage, there is no circus ring, no light, no stage costume, and no audience, yet it is a splendid vision of an animal trainer
.
Cordon did not like to be described as a circus photographer. He loved circuses, but was not much interested in the documentary aspect often linked to circus photography. He used to say, "I am looking for the very style of an artist, that’s what I’m interested in". The photographs he took revealed aspects of the subject’s character and personality. He had a talent for capturing what other probably did not see, and was above all interested in producing images that would translate an emotion and be different. This is probably the reason why so many circus artists wanted to be photographed by him.
6x6 or with a 35 mm Leica
; afterwards, he almost exclusively used Nikon
cameras. Cordon never used a flash when not in his studio. He liked to work in the dark room and to do prints of his negatives, considering printing as a second shooting. However, when the prints were for books or exhibitions he had them done by a professional printer.
Cordon was also very interested in studio work ,and set up his own studio in the late fifties where he shot advertisement and fashion photographs. In his studio, Cordon worked mostly with a Hasselblad
camera but also used a Linhof
view camera
. He loved working with studio flash and was an early user of the Balcar flash. Dick Balli. the founder of the company, became one of his close friends.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
photographer known for his circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
photographs.
Early years
Paul de Cordon was born in ToulouseToulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
in to a Savoyan
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
noble family
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
. He was the son of a cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
officer. During his childhood, he spent several years in Mainz, Germany
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, where his father was garrisoned. It was in Mainz that he began taking photographs using a small camera given to him by his father. Later, he said that he had spent long hours in the shop of an old German photographer, and that is how he began to learn photography. While he lived in Germany he became interested in the circus. In the 1920s, German circuses such as Althoff
Althoff
-Persons:* Althoff , one of the oldest and greatest Circusfamilies in the world, existing since 1660* Ernie Althoff, an Australian musician* Friedrich Althoff , Prussian Minister of Culture, Honorary degree from Harvard,…...
were travelling across the country with large crews and many animals.
After his Lycée years, he enrolled in the cavalry. In the army he spent most of his time training horses and riding in steeple chases and military cross. He participated to more than 500 races on various French and European race fields and sometimes won.
In 1940, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he was captured in the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
. After two unsuccessful escape attempts, he was sent to Colditz
Colditz
Colditz is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, near Leipzig, located on the banks of the river Mulde. The town has a population of 5,188 ....
. In 1945, the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
set him free. He stayed in the army for a few more months and was affected to the Cadre Noir
Cadre Noir
The Cadre Noir is an equestrian display team based in the city of Saumur in western France. The troop was founded in 1828, and gets its name from the black uniforms that are still used today...
in Saumur
Saumur
Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.The historic town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc...
.
Second life
Cordon met film directorFilm director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Jean Devaivre, a figure in the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
, while he was an underground activist and working for the German-owned Continental Films in Paris. Devaivre asked Cordon to be his assistant. Cordon had always been attracted to the stage, having briefly attended attended Charles Dullin
Charles Dullin
Charles Dullin was a French actor, theater manager and director.-Life:Dullin was a student of Jacques Copeau...
acting sessions in the 1930s, but his interest in photography was also a key factor in the decision.
In the early 1950s Cordon decided to become a professional photographer. For many years he worked in his Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
studio for fashion design
Fashion design
Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
ers and advertising agencies
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
. He began developing a huge personal project on circus and cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
. He spent many nights with his camera at the Crazy Horse Saloon, at Medrano or at the Bouglione brothers' Cirque d’Hiver. He also travelled around the world visiting circuses. During these trips, Cordon developed strong links with old circus families such as Schumann, Rancy, Knie and Gruss, with whom he shared a same passion for horses. At this time he wrote several articles for the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
annual Information Hippique on circus horses and riders.
Circus instants
"While watching this obstinate quest for the perfect gesture, I realized that I was living what I had always been expecting : a circus instant". Instants de Cirque is the title of Cordon's most famous book and the concept he described as key to his circus images. This "instant" has some similarity with the "decisive moment" evoked by Henri Cartier-BressonHenri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism. He was an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography...
; it is the opposite of luck or accident, but rather a tiny fragment of time when the photographer’s eye catches something that other eyes do not.
One of Cordon’s famous pictures, "Three zebras", shot at the Amsterdam Zoo in 1957 and published all around the world, is an example of something common that suddenly becomes unique. It is also particularly true for another photograph "Amis, Gilbert Houcke and Prince". This image has nothing to do with what is usually referred to as circus photography, it is shot backstage, there is no circus ring, no light, no stage costume, and no audience, yet it is a splendid vision of an animal trainer
Animal training
Animal training refers to teaching animals specific responses to specific conditions or stimuli. Training may be for the purpose of companionship, detection, protection, entertainment or all of the above....
.
Cordon did not like to be described as a circus photographer. He loved circuses, but was not much interested in the documentary aspect often linked to circus photography. He used to say, "I am looking for the very style of an artist, that’s what I’m interested in". The photographs he took revealed aspects of the subject’s character and personality. He had a talent for capturing what other probably did not see, and was above all interested in producing images that would translate an emotion and be different. This is probably the reason why so many circus artists wanted to be photographed by him.
Crazy Horse Saloon
Cordon met Alain Bernardin at the very beginning of the Crazy Horse Saloon. The former antique dealer who had just invented a new cabaret and the former cavalry officer shared the same dislike for conventional rules and the same interest in stage shows. Cordon spent long hours at the Crazy, where he took many pictures. He liked the company of models and dancers, and they trusted him when he came into their dressing room with his camera. This part of his work remains lesser known than his circus photographs.Technique
Cordon used different cameras. His 1950’s photographs were made either with a RolleiflexRolleiflex
Rolleiflex is the name of a long-running and diverse line of high-end cameras originally made by the German company Franke & Heidecke, and later Rollei-Werk. The "Rolleiflex" name is most commonly used to refer to Rollei's premier line of medium format twin lens reflex cameras...
6x6 or with a 35 mm Leica
Leica
Leica Camera AG, a German optics company, produces Leica cameras. The predecessor of the company, formerly known as Ernst Leitz GmbH, is now three companies: Leica Camera AG, Leica Geosystems AG, and Leica Microsystems AG, producing cameras, geosurvey equipment, and microscopes, respectively...
; afterwards, he almost exclusively used Nikon
Nikon
, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
cameras. Cordon never used a flash when not in his studio. He liked to work in the dark room and to do prints of his negatives, considering printing as a second shooting. However, when the prints were for books or exhibitions he had them done by a professional printer.
Cordon was also very interested in studio work ,and set up his own studio in the late fifties where he shot advertisement and fashion photographs. In his studio, Cordon worked mostly with a Hasselblad
Hasselblad
Victor Hasselblad AB is a Swedish manufacturer of medium-format cameras and photographic equipment based in Gothenburg, Sweden.The company is best known for the medium-format cameras it has produced since World War II....
camera but also used a Linhof
Linhof
Linhof is a German company, founded in Munich in 1887 by Valentin Linhof. The company is well known for making premium rollfilm and large format film cameras...
view camera
View camera
The view camera is a type of camera first developed in the era of the Daguerreotype and still in use today, though with many refinements. It comprises a flexible bellows which forms a light-tight seal between two adjustable standards, one of which holds a lens, and the other a viewfinder or a...
. He loved working with studio flash and was an early user of the Balcar flash. Dick Balli. the founder of the company, became one of his close friends.
Books by Paul de Cordon
- Girls of the Crazy Horse Saloon Verlagspresse 1971
- Instants de Cirque Edition du chêne 1977
- Le Cadre Noir Julliard 1981