38

A selection of 36 "Walking Pictures." 1930s.

Silver prints on carte-postale paper
All but 3 with the "Societe des Cinephotos" stamp on verso.
The images overall 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (14 x 8.9 cm.)

  • Notes:
    Walking Pictures, or commonly referred to as "walkies," are pocket sized, photographic mementos taken of people walking on the street. Popular from the end of WWI to the 1970s, they were most commonly found in England, but the practice was employed across Europe and the United States. Many of these images were taken in resort towns on promenades and piers, or busy thoroughfares of tourist destinations. After snapping the picture, cameramen would entice the subjects to purchase the prints at nearby kiosks. Since the subjects were usually completely unaware of their photo being taken, the images are unposed and candid, towing the line between documentary photography and intimate portraiture. Most of the time images were printed postcard-size so that the purchaser could send their likeness to friends and family–one company even came up with the popularized phrase "Go Home on a Postcard." The present examples were created by a French company called Societe Des Cinephotos that operated out of Strasbourg in the 1930s.
  • Condition: For condition reports, email Deborah Rogal at [email protected]

    Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

    Condition reports and additional images are provided as a courtesy and should be used by you to aid in the formation of your own opinion regarding condition. All material is sold subject to Swann's standard Terms and Conditions of Sale as published in our catalogues and posted on our website, and include the following terms: (1) all property is sold "as-is"; and (2) works cannot be returned on the basis of condition.

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October 16, 2025 10:30 AM EDT
New York, NY, US

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