Jean-Baptiste Tournassoud (May 3, 1866 – January 5, 1951) was a French photographer and military officer.

Biography

North African soldiers, 1915. Autochrome by Tournassoud.

Tournassoud was born May 3, 1866, in Montmerle-sur-Saône. In 1879, he was first in the canton for the certificate of primary studies and followed a course in carpentry.[1] At the end of his basic military service in 1887, Tounassoud remained with the Army and began a military career.[2] He married Georgette Michel in 1901 and the following year became the father of a daughter named Juliette.[1]

He was a pioneer of color photography, using autochrome plates.[2] As subject matter he paricularly favoured the French Army of the years 1908-1914, both because of his own military background and because of the colourful uniforms of this period, worn even when on active service in Morocco.[3]

Tournassoud autochrome colour photograph of French 3rd Zouaves 1912

Tournassoud was director of the Photographic and Cinematographic Service of the War (French: Service photographique et cinématographique de la guerre - SPCG) from October 30, 1918, to September 30, 1919.[4]

He retired from the Army in 1920. He settled in Montmerle and remained a photographer until his death, in 1951, at the age of 84.[2]

Tournassoud left about 2,500 photographs, both black-and-white and color.[5]

Collections

Collections of his works are owned by:

References

  1. 1 2 "Jean-Baptiste Tournassoud (1866 - 1951) - Un commandant photographe - Panoramique 01". patrimoines.ain.fr. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  2. 1 2 3 "Biography", Association of the Friends of Jean-Baptiste Tournassoud. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  3. ↑ Mirouze, Laurent (2007). The French Army in the First World War – to Battle 1914. p. 421. ISBN 978-3-902526-09-0.
  4. ↑ (in French) Hélène Guillot, « La section photographique de l’armée et la Grande Guerre », in Revue historique des armées, n° 258, 2010, published online February 26, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  5. ↑ Mirouze, Laurent (2007). The French Army in the First World War – to Battle 1914. p. 421. ISBN 978-3-902526-09-0.


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