Photographic portrait of Paul Magès as a child

In this document

The archive consists of a single black and white photograph, taken in a studio, inserted into a gilded frame richly decorated with shell and foliage motifs p. 1.

The shot shows two children standing side by side, facing forward, in front of a neutral studio background embellished with a dark decorative element evoking painted foliage p. 1.

On the left, a young child with long, curly hair wears a white lace collar over a dark garment, a wide light-coloured belt, dark shorts and high-top boots; they are holding a large play hoop resting on the ground with both hands p. 1.

On the right, an older girl with braided hair wears a dark dress with a lace collar and light buttons, a buckled belt, dark stockings and boots; she is holding a small bouquet of flowers p. 1.

No text, handwritten caption or indication of date or location accompanies the photograph p. 1.

Context

The title of the PDF associated with this archive, "Paul MAGÈS enfant", indicates that this is a portrait of the Citroën engineer in his youth, but this information does not appear in the photographic document itself.

The clothing depicted — lace collar, high-top boots, play hoop — corresponds to children's fashion and leisure accessories typical of the early 20th century in France, a period during which family studio photographs were common for immortalising childhood.

Paul Magès was born in 1908 (biographical notice) and remained at Citroën for 49 years, where he designed the hydropneumatic suspension applied in particular to the DS; this portrait would therefore, if the identification in the title is accurate, date from the very first years of his life, long before his career as an engineer.

Archivist's perspective

This portrait is, in all likelihood, one of the very first biographical documents in the Magès collection, as it refers to his childhood rather than his professional life.

The absence of a caption or inscription makes it impossible, however, based solely on reading the document, to definitively identify the two children depicted or to provide a precise date p. 1; only the title assigned to the PDF allows this image to be linked to Paul Magès.

It is probably a family snapshot, the type of framed studio photograph being characteristic of keepsakes treasured in households of that era.

This piece is part of a personal rather than professional collection, and would benefit from being compared with other biographical or family archives of Paul Magès kept in the collection — such as the caricature drawn by his son Pierre or the photographs of his retirement — in order to better situate this portrait within his life's journey.