Charles Martini de Châteauneuf prefers the terms preserver or curator to that of collector. The fact remains that the enthusiast has collected myriads of documents on the Menton region over 40 years.
Documents that he does not intend to guard jealously, but to share. By publishing – or participating in – fifteen works. The latest, Photographic walk in Menton and Mentonnais (1859-1910) just coming off the press.
And the author can rejoice in thus completing a triptych devoted to the local iconographic heritage. After Memories of Mentonpublished in 1978. And A Century in Mentonpublished in 1999.
Charles Martini de Châteauneuf assumes this: his work is not a history book. But a fresco of Menton at the beginning of photography.
Because it is the images – printed in sepia, to preserve the original appearance – which sit in majesty. Only accompanied by the name of their author, place and date.
630 photos presented
The rare texts can be found in the introduction; the first part of the work explaining photographic processes and presenting the first to have practiced them locally.
“At the time, they had huge machines and worked on plates. Very often, they were painters.” Which explains the quality of the framing and the composition. To the point of seeing, sometimes, lines of flight.
“The realization of this work was essential for me. But it would never have been released if Christian Robiglio had not pushed me, then if he had not helped mecontinues Charles Martini of Châteauneuf. Out of nearly 6,000 documents, we kept 630. The choice was very difficult. But these are things almost never seen before. Even us, it sometimes took an hour or two to locate a photo.”
Christian Robiglio emphasizes that recovering such images was a pure challenge. Because quite logically, the first photographs are the most difficult to find. Because it was very expensive. And because the prints were rare, even unique.
But the two friends are resourceful. And it is thanks to their network – which goes well beyond Menton – that they achieved this. Helped by the Internet when necessary, notably to acquire photos kept in Germany, Australia or England.
“I was also able to access the archives of large Menton families who had private documents, unknown to everyone”indicates Charles Martini from Châteauneuf. Among the missions that the two authors have set for themselves, we will mention the wish to reveal all the districts of Menton.
“We could have put a hundred photos of the port, but the point was to cover the whole city. And to speak to everyone in this way. If we had only chosen the most beautiful images, some neighborhoods would have been over-represented”explains Christian Robiglio.
Pointing out the fact that postcards are rarely as good as photos, as many things had already changed by the time they appeared.
Pros and amateurs
The hundreds of photos are arranged in chapters responding to a geographical or thematic logic: Original city, East bay, West bay, Over hill and valley, Slices of life, Happy times and misfortunes, Roquebrune and the surrounding villages (Castellar, Castillon, Gorbio , Sainte-Agnès).
“There are neighborhoods or subjects that we don’t talk about because we haven’t found a corresponding photo. For example, we know that there was a velodrome on Avenue de Verdun, but it’s impossible to find any trace of it. “completes Charles Martini of Châteauneuf.
On the other hand, we will discover the Protestant temple before the road is opened, the very rural district where the Intermarché of Carnolès is located today, Romanichels with a bear in Carnolès, the caves of Saint-Roman, the wash house of the rue Albini, the meeting between François Joseph and Félix Faure, the Bastion still in the middle of the waters, a view of the Saint-Michel church severely affected by the earthquake of 1887…
“Our originality is to have integrated amateur images into the book – something that is not found in books already released. The advent of photographic processes, and in particular the appearance of small devices, has made it possible for enlightened amateurs to make reports. They thus show scenes of life which did not interest professionals.mentions Charles Martini of Châteauneuf.
Recalling that the region was once poor, except for a few opulent families. And this is one of the charms of the work, showing a transition to be seen.
Slideshows planned
In his preface, the author insists on this point: thus compiled, the oldest photos of Menton bear witness to “of a pivotal period which sounded the death knell of an archaic, compartmentalized society with very marked regional particularism, while trumpeting the advent of a new, more open society, based on industry, commerce, trade, communication and, in this case, for our region, tourism”.
The two friends have already planned to share their work via three slideshows: two private with Rotary and Sahm. And a third open to the public at the Saint-Exupéry room, in December.
The Photographic Walk will thus be able to continue collectively. By doing, on purpose, “appeals more to emotion than to reason”.
The book is on sale (€54) at the Sahm (3, rue Longue), in the bookstores of Menton and Roquebrune, or directly from Charles Martini de Châteauneuf (20, rue Partouneaux). Rens. 06.13.18.14.10.
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