In the early 20th century, sports rapidly grew into a beloved pastime for the rising middle class, and few captured this cultural shift as beautifully as Jacques Henri Lartigue.
A passionate sportsman himself, Lartigue’s photography provides a window into the lively world of amateur athletics.
His unposed, candid shots, compiled in a luxurious album, document the joy and energy that filled the sporting fields of the era.
Whether racing, skiing, tennis, gymnastics, or hang gliding, Lartigue’s images reflect the vibrant spirit of early 20th-century athletics.
My nanny Dudu, 40, on rue Cortambert in Paris, 1904.
What sets Lartigue apart is his unparalleled ability to convey movement and emotion.
His photos bring to life the human body’s fluidity and power, highlighting how it bends, stretches, and focuses in the heat of competition.
His photography also serves as a visual record of the evolving fashion and equipment tied to each athletic pursuit, adding a stylish layer to these dynamic, historical snapshots.
Oléo, Rouzat, August 1908.
The ZYX24 takes off while Piroux, Zissou, Georges, Louis, Dédé and Robert make there attempt as well in Rouzat, September 1910.
Robert, the lightest, is chosen to test-fly the “Pic no. 3” in Rouzat, September 1910.
My cousin Dédé in Rouzat, 1911.
Zissou leans against the wind from Amerigo’s propeller in Buc, Nov. 9, 1911.
Grand Prix de L’Automobile Club de France, 1912.
The great racer Nazzaro signals to Wagner to accelerate, Grand Prix de l’A.C.F., June 26, 1912.
My cousin Simone Roussel in Marly Forest, 1913.
My cousin Simone and Golo in Marly Forest, March 1913.
Charly, Rico and Sim in Rouzat, September 1913.
Training of Suzanne Lenglen, Nice, November 1915.
Malvina in Chamonix, January 1918.
Bibi and Lolo in Paris, 1921.
Cannes, May 1927.
Cannes, May 1927.
Dawn in Hyères, September 1929.
Coco at l’Altana, the Weisswellers’ estate in Antibes, March 1936.
Deauville, June 1938.
World ski-jumping championships in Juan-les-Pins, September 1938.
Jacques Henri Lartigue (13 June 1894 – 12 September 1986) was a French photographer and painter, known for his photographs of automobile races, planes, and female Parisian fashion models.
Lartigue’s work is held in the permanent collections of many institutions worldwide, including the Harvard Art Museums, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the George Eastman Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Princeton University Art Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography.
American director Wes Anderson is a fan of Lartigue’s work, and has referenced it in his films.
A shot in Rushmore is based on one of his photographs, and Lartigue’s likeness was the basis for the portrait of Lord Mandrake in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. ‘Zissou’ was also Lartigue’s nickname for his brother Maurice.
(Photo credit: Jacques Henri Lartigue / Ministère de la Culture of France / AAJHL).