Album Militaire
Changing of the guard at the barracks gate
On sick-call
A meal in the recruit's mess-hall
On the exercise yard
The following 80 color photos are from a pre-Great War French publication called 'Album Militaire'. This was published in monthly installments with each isue featuring a number of fine quality color reproductions depicting life in the various French military services : infantry, cavalry, enginering corps, artillery, the officers school at Saint Cyr, scenes from les Invalides, the Navy and from the colonial armies.
It is not exactly clear if the photographs are original color shots or if they were hand colored renderings of black and white photos. Printing techniques at the time made it rather difficult to differentiate between the two. More than likely the photos were indeed hand-colored, but they were done so expertly that at first glance it is difficult to tell. Whatever the case, the many photos are striking and colorful, if somewhat contrived and artificial. Almost all scenes seem to be carefully composed compositions but such was the normal practice at the time.
The monthly issues of 'Album Militaire' were quite expensive - 3.50 FF a piece - about seven times the price of an expensive magazine. At least 15 issues were published which were afterwards bound in a heavy-duty gold-leaf binder.