De Gaulle, 1948, on the Eve of Elections
Photograph of a rain-soaked Charles de Gaulle praying in the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Nice, 1948.
[Nice, France: 1948].
Price: $750.00
About the item
Printed circa 1984. Gelatin silver print. 1 vols. 11-3/8 x 10-3/8 inches. De Gaulle, 1948, on the Eve of Elections. Very good. Docketed on verso with indications to the printer for reduction and placement.
Item #232457
Rare print of this famous image of the French leader, praying on the eve of the elections for the National Assembly of 1948, standing before an altar in his rain-soaked uniform. Taken by the Ukrainian-born photographer Dmitri Kessel (1902 - 1995), whose work for LIFE magazine won him international renown, the image received a full-page reproduction (from this very print) in the book ON ASSIGNMENT: DMITRI KESSEL LIFE PHOTOGRAPHER (New York, Abrams, 1985, p. 165), with the explanation: " ... in Nice in September 1948. He was campaigning for re-election when he was caught in a downpour and refused an umbrella."
