The Textbook World Of René Bresson

A Corner In The City
Standard

Le Français par l'image [The French In Images] (c. 1964)

Le Français par l’image [The French In Images] (c. 1964)

Le Français par l’image is an elementary schoolbook published in France c. 1964. The illustrations are the work of French artist René Bresson. Bresson’s recognizable creations were found in numerous French textbooks in the 1950s and ’60s. The ageless charm of his works are found in their innocence and simplicity. Below are some examples of Bresson’s textbook world as seen in Le Français par l’image. If you would like to view some more visit patrcia m’s flickr page by clicking here.

The Return - the pictorial begins in the schoolyard where the parents gather their children for the first day of a new school year.

The Return – the pictorial begins in the schoolyard where the parents gather their children for the first day of a new school year.

Bresson’s illustrations of the four seasons:

The wind and rain of Autumn.

The wind and rain of Autumn.

The winter snow.

The winter snow.

The Spring Garden

The Spring Garden

The Summer Beach

The Summer Beach

Bresson’s illustrations of social gathering places:

The Hairdresser and Barber Shop

The Hairdresser and Barber Shop

The Post Office

The Post Office

The Department Store

The Department Store

The Village

The Village

Bresson’s transportation illustrations:

The Train Station

The Train Station

The Airport

The Airport – notice the classic Lockheed Constellation aircraft on the runway right-center.

The Shipping Port

The Shipping Port

On The Open Road

On The Open Road and In The Friendly Skies

And the last few for this post, Bresson’s family gathering illustrations. The most idyll of them all:

The Dinner Table

The Dinner Table – notice that sis and dad are the only ones waiting for mom to sit down to eat.

The Evening Ritual

The Evening Ritual – when the only electrics were lighting and the radio.

Yule - the toy aircraft are pretty cool.

Yule – the toy aircraft and Citroën-like toy car are pretty cool.

A lazy day at the river.

And to wind it all up, a lazy day at the river.

6 thoughts on “The Textbook World Of René Bresson

  1. Something in the Winter illustration struck me…. was it common for kids to go out in the cold and snow wearing short pants back then!?!? We did a lot of daring things in my day, but I never went out in shorts in the middle of winter!

    Like

    • Ha! I do know that the boy’s school uniforms often had shorts, but I can’t say for sure if that was normal winter wear. I suppose if the little girls had to wear skirts it would only be fair for the boys to wear shorts. *grinz*

      Like

  2. In South France, many of the villages and towns, including my own, have not changed at all from ‘the village’ scene apart from you no longer see the town announcer with his drum. The game Pétanque is still played and each village/town retains its central fountain and outdoor market.

    The ‘dinner table’ table setting with its styles of food, wine, baguette, etc is still popular. Note: in ‘the evening ritual’ scene the bowl of fruit that was previously on the table in “the dinner table” has now been moved to the sideboard and the spray of flowers put back on the table where they’re normally displayed outside of mealtimes.

    Thanks for posting. I hadn’t heard of this illustrator before. His work is charming.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks for sharing this wonderful cultural info! Part of my personal familial history traces itself to Avignon. I’ve wanted to visit but haven’t had the opportunity to do so yet. Now I have a little idea about what I might expect to find.

      I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the post. 😊

      Like

Leave a comment