La Dame Indignée

1945–1979

Portraits of Picasso, Braque, Léger, Cocteau and Giacometti

From the post-war years through the 1970s Doisneau produced children's books, advertising photography and celebrity portraits — Alberto Giacometti, Jean Cocteau, Fernand Léger, Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso. He worked with writers and poets such as Blaise Cendrars and Jacques Prévert, and credited Prévert with giving him the confidence to photograph everyday street scenes.

1946

Returns to Rapho for good

After the war Doisneau returned to freelance work, selling photographs to Life and other international magazines; he briefly joined the Alliance Photo agency but rejoined Rapho in 1946 and stayed with it throughout his working life, despite Henri Cartier-Bresson's invitation to join Magnum Photos.

1947

Daughter born: Francine Deroudille

1949

A contract with Vogue

In 1949 Doisneau signed a contract with Vogue magazine.

1950

Joins Le Groupe des XV

In 1950 Doisneau joined Le Groupe des XV, founded in Paris in 1946 to promote photography as an art and to preserve France's photographic heritage, alongside René-Jacques, Willy Ronis and Pierre Jahan. After the group disbanded he joined Les 30 x 40, the Club Photographique de Paris.

12 June 1950

“The Kiss” is published in Life

Made for Life, the photograph was published on 12 June 1950 as part of a photo-essay on couples kissing in Paris, and became an internationally recognised symbol of young love in Paris.