Walking in Paris in the 1950s
A stroll along the River Seine
Most Fridays I send out an email that features photos from the Rupert Leach Collection, snaps taken from the personal reels of View-Master’s Director of Photography in the 1940s and ‘50s. These never-before-published images show alternative shots of some commercial View-Master reels and personal photos of Leach, his wife Poppy, and others.
I try to get to the bottom of the people and places pictured within despite the limited context provided by mostly unmarked reels. Let’s dig in!
This week’s reel is one of the rare ones that feature captions written in by Rupert Leach himself, it seems. The captions below the photos are from the reel itself.
Paris is known for its beautiful flower markets and that is something that has been true for a very long time. I wish I were walking next to one right now.
This appears to be one of the many canals of Paris. Google Lens guesses this is Canal Saint-Martin but I’m unconvinced. I like how dreamy it looks.
Note: I used a different phone and method to capture these! So I’m experimenting. Do they seem more in focus than usual? Or no big difference? Let me know if you notice any improvement.
A little pigeon and her suitors in front of Notre Dame. This photo appears to be another take on the one I published in February! You can see it here:
Another shot of the little art stars along the Seine. This is from the same reel I featured on March 7! The woman is wearing the same dress.
Notre Dame in the 1950s, as seen from a little art stand in front of it.
This appears to be Pont Neuf, again, very visually similar to a shot seen in this post:
One of the many little vessels that populate the Seine.
Some interesting notes about this week’s reel: The photos have a decidedly green hue to them and it’s probably about the development process, but it could also have been a specific choice. Interesting either way.
It feels like Rupert Leach genuinely loved Paris. The cheeky captions and the street scenes feel like clues. I like seeing the city of love through his lens.
That’s it for this week! Thanks for reading along. Be sure to smash that ❤️ button so I know you’re out there and following along!
Very cool!-- thanks for sharing! 🙏
New photos look fantastic! Was wondering about that green hue, might've been an artistic choice. These must look phenomenal through a viewer.