Christmas According to Harper’s Bazaar, December 1952

As a follow-up to yesterday's post let's rediscover a Christmas shoot by Henri Cartier-Bresson that was published in December 1952. The shoot was commissioned by Harper's Bazaar Paris editor Marie-Louise Bousquet who asked Italian journalist, writer and fashion critic Irene Brin to help the photographer finding the proper locations.

Brin started looking for unknown places through friends, but Cartier-Bresson rejected her suggestions that included photographing seven semi-destructed churches that belonged to an Italian aristocrat (too decadent in his opinion), and the rather unique chance to take pictures of a mass through the grille of a cloistered convent (according to him this was a rather Baroque idea…), and set out on his own quest.

Together with his wife Cartier-Bresson travelled in December 1951 between Scanno, in the Abruzzo region, and Matera, in Puglia. The couple returned to Scanno in January 1952 where, Brin stated, they found themselves perfectly at home in their icy rented rooms, eating pancotto (stale bread) soups and spending time with the locals. Cartier-Bresson viewed Scanno as the perfect place to evoke the rhythms and traditions of Winter. His images remain breathtaking and delicate compositions of beauty, superb postcards to wish a poetical and sublime Merry Christmas.