The return of the Republic: crowd photography and the Liberation in Toulouse 1944-45

Diamond, Hanna ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9432-3614 2019. The return of the Republic: crowd photography and the Liberation in Toulouse 1944-45. French Politics, Culture and Society 37 (1) , pp. 90-116. 10.3167/fpcs.2019.370106

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Abstract

This article shows how the photographs that circulated in the press of the Liberation mobilized republican symbolism in line with local circumstances. In a close analysis of the photography of the Liberation of Toulouse, taken from a corpus of photographs that circulated in the press, commemorative publications, and an exhibition, this article shows that crowd images dominated. It first sets out the background to the theorization of the concept of masses during the late 19th/20th century, and how crowd photography developed across Europe and in France. The discussion then focuses on the three visual crowd themes present in the photographic corpus. These include images of the mass crowd, images of the people’s army, and images of individuals in the crowd. The article argues that these photographs carried the unambiguous message that the Republic had returned to power, and suggested that in fulfilling their republican role, the crowds had contributed to their own liberation.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Modern Languages
Publisher:	Berghahn Journals
ISSN:	1537-6370
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	9 May 2018
Date of Acceptance:	19 February 2018
Last Modified:	24 Nov 2024 14:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/111326

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