Skip to Content
Today Open today 11–8

Juvisy, France

A work made of gelatin silver print.

Image actions

  • A work made of gelatin silver print.

Date:

1955, printed 1956

Artist:

Henri Cartier-Bresson
French, 1908–2004

About this artwork

Henri Cartier-Bresson originated the phrase “the decisive moment”—the instant when everything in the camera’s frame aligns serendipitously to create the perfect composition. A founder of Magnum, a cooperative photographic agency formed in 1947 to give photographers creative control over their own images, Cartier-Bresson traveled the world as a photojournalist. The Art Institute acquired seven of his photographs in 1962, including this image of children playing beside the Seine, precisely framed and divided by gravel, pathways, and shrubs. Edwards later wrote in a letter: “There are many great photographs by Cartier-Bresson, but this always remains my favorite.”

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Title

Juvisy, France

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1955

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Inscriptions

Unmarked recto; inscribed verso, on mount, upper right, sideways, in graphite: "#42"; verso, on mount, upper center, in graphite: "5 [encircled]"

Dimensions

Image/paper: 19.7 × 29.5 cm (7 13/16 × 11 5/8 in.); Mount: 55.9 × 45.8 cm (22 1/16 × 18 1/16 in.)

Credit Line

Photography Gallery Purchased with funds provided by Fund

Reference Number

1962.184

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share