Photographs of the tribute to Paul Magès: gathering of DS and procession (1999)

In this document

These two pages contain no transcribed text: they consist exclusively of colour photographs, taken outdoors, following the tribute article to Paul Magès.

Page 2: gathering of Citroën vehicles

The photograph shows an alley lined with trees and hedges, where several vintage Citroën DS/ID type cars are parked in a line (including a white saloon at the front and a black saloon in the background), as well as a dark minibus or van parked further up. About ten people in city clothes are standing on the road, between the van and the cars, appearing to chat or observe the vehicles p. 2.

Page 3: procession in a park or cemetery

The second photograph, taken from a slight high angle in a wooded setting (park or cemetery, ground strewn with dead leaves), shows a black utility vehicle of the hearse type, with a glass roof, stopped on a paved path. Two men in dark suits are heading towards the front of the vehicle. In the background, three light-coloured Citroën DS/ID are parked in a row, surrounded by people; on the right, a dark DS is parked near people in mourning attire (dark suits, black dress). A group of about ten people in dark clothing is walking along the path, moving away from the central vehicle p. 3.

Context

These images, associated with a tribute file published in 1999 by the Club IDéale DS Francilienne, evoke through their composition (gathered DS/ID vehicles, mourning attire, funeral vehicle) a commemorative ceremony organised by enthusiasts of the Citroën brand.

Paul Magès died on 22 September 1999, which gave rise to a tribute from the mayor of Ramatuelle, a Var commune where he had retired ( speech by Mr. Raphaël). Let us recall that he remained famous for the invention of the hydropneumatic suspension, an iconic system of the DS presented in 1955 — but this link between the man and the model is general knowledge, not the photographic content itself.

Archivist's view

These two photographs seem to constitute the visual complement to the article "Tribute to a great engineer", published in the same year 1999 by the same club.

The presence of numerous DS/ID gathered, associated with mourning attire and a funeral vehicle visible on page 3, as well as the death of Paul Magès which occurred in this same year 1999, strongly suggest that these snapshots document the engineer's funeral, without the precise location or the identity of the people present being formally established by the images alone.

Their documentary value lies above all in the visual testimony of the fervour of the Club IDéale DS Francilienne enthusiasts towards the engineer, illustrating the continuity of his legacy well beyond his career at Citroën.