The Legend Of Street Photography Dies At 97

The pioneer photographer Sabine Weiss,  the last survivor of the famous French humanist school,  died at the age of 97 in her Parisian house. 

Although he stopped photographing, Weiss was actively involved in its archives until his death. Born in Switzerland, she learned her art in Geneva and settled in Paris after World War II. She became most famous for her images in the streets of Paris, and for 70 years she remained at the center of French photography. 

Sabine Weiss opens a workshop in Paris  in 1950. The man who lights a cigarette, Paris 1950, is from this period, four years after arriving in the French capital. 

He immortalized everyday life in Paris and much of his work characterized the lives of children. This 1953 image shows children chained to a barge. 

Weiss started taking photos at the age of 18.This self-portrait dates from 1953. Weiss said last year that she visited morgues and factories for her photos, photographing the wealthy and covering the world of fashion. Everything else he did  spontaneously, he said. 

In 1952, he met the photographers Robert Doisneau and Edward Steichen and joined their Rapho photo agency. This photo is of the Porte de Vanves in Paris. 

 During the 1950s and early 1960s he worked extensively for international publications. His clients included Newsweek, Time, Life, Esquire, and Paris Match.He captured this image in New York in 1955. 

Sabine Weiss' images are all reproduced courtesy of her family and longtime assistant Laure Augustins.