A Village in France : Louis Clergeau's Photographic Portrait of Daily Life in Pontlevoy, 1902-1936

Between 1902 and 1936 Louis Clergeau photographed the village of Pontlevoy in the Loire Valley, creating a series of more than 10,000 images, all carefully dated and recorded.

This book presents 150 of them, devoted to significant events and themes in the history of the village, and depicting harvests and grape gatherings, marriages, baptisms, markets, festivals, parades, and the inauguration of one of the region's earliest airfields in 1910.There are cobblers, wine-growers, seamstresses, lumbermen, and people picnicking with their children, fishing, or chatting at the cafe.

The selection of subjects and the composition of the pictures not only reflect Clergeau's artistic sensibility, but also offer insights into the life of a village long ago.

A brief epilogue takes the story of Pontlevoy through to the end of World War II, reproducing photographs taken by Clergeau's daughter.