La représentation du travail dans les photographies publicitaires des Éditions Paul-Martial

Abstract

Created in Paris in 1926, the Éditions Paul-Martial benefits from an important reputation between the two world wars. The Éditions Paul-Martial was specialized in the field of the industry and offered several kinds of services such as the publication of advertising catalogues in which photography plays a key role. Many reports were produced between the early 1930’s and the end of the 1960’s by forges, steel mills, metallurgy, pharmaceutical laboratories, agricultural companies, mechanical engineering, construction materials, textile manufacturing and rail transport companies in France. The archives of the company’s photographic studio, which are kept at the Musée d’art moderne et contemporain de Saint‑Étienne Métropole, allow us to observe the working methods of the beginning of the 20th century and the advertising representations accompanying it. Depending on the aim, the views pretend to be a live capture or assume a staged of the activity.

Keywords

• photography
• advertising publishing
• industry
• man at work