La Vie au grand air

La Vie au grand air was a French illustrated sports magazine launched on 1 April 1898 under the direction of the Bordeaux-born sports journalist Pierre Lafitte. Subtitled "revue illustrée de tous les sports" (illustrated review of all sports), it was conceived as a new kind of publication that relied primarily on photographic reproductions of athletes in action rather than drawn compositions. The first issue, priced at 25 centimes for a 16-page booklet composed of about 70% photographs, was published by the printing firm J. Rueff et Cie, Éditeurs. Initially bimonthly, it soon became a weekly, appearing on Sundays and later on Thursdays, with its price gradually rising to 50 centimes shortly before World War I. The magazine was closely associated with the Olympic spirit promoted by Pierre de Coubertin, and it placed athletes of all disciplines, origins, and genders on its covers. By the end of 1898, the cover was typically dominated by a large black-and-white photograph of a sports figure instead of a drawn composition. Lafitte bought the title outright in 1899 and founded an eponymous publishing company in a limited partnership located at 9 avenue de l'Opéra in Paris, which became the magazine's headquarters. Early photographers associated with the magazine included Jules Beau, while the young Marcel Rol made his debut there and Louis Lucien Faure-Dujarric produced year-end issues. In 1900, Alexandre Natanson was appointed director. In 1912, the title was shortened to simply Vie au grand air. Publication was interrupted on 2 August 1914 (issue no. 828) at the outbreak of World War I, and resumed on 15 June 1916 (issue no. 829) as a quarterly. In 1916, Lafitte sold the title to Hachette et Cie but remained its director; he introduced a new quarterly formula with covers illustrated by a drawn, color composition signed by an artist. The magazine was partially absorbed by Très Sport, launched in 1922 by Hachette and Lafitte, and ceased publication definitively on 15 April 1922, disappearing entirely by 1926. La Vie au grand air is regarded by historians of the illustrated press, notably Thierry Gervais, as a prototype of the modern magazine, alongside La Vie illustrée by Félix Juven. Gervais's analysis of its graphic design, art direction, and page layouts demonstrates an early use of close-ups, overlapping, and photomontage as early as 1904, linking its modernity to the visual context of early cinema. The magazine remains a landmark in the history of photojournalism and sports media in France.

La Vie au grand air was launched on 1 April 1898 by Pierre Lafitte, a sports journalist from Bordeaux with a passion for cycling. He proposed to the printing company J. Rueff et Cie, Éditeurs a new kind of illustrated publication that would primarily feature photographic reproductions of athletes in action. The first issue cost 25 centimes for a 16-page booklet composed of about 70% photographs. Initially bimonthly, the magazine became weekly, appearing on Sundays and later on Thursdays, with its price gradually increasing to 50 centimes shortly before World War I. By the end of 1898, the cover was typically a large black-and-white photograph of a sports figure rather than a drawn composition. Lafitte bought the title outright in 1899 and founded a publishing company in his name, a limited partnership located at 9 avenue de l'Opéra in Paris, which became the magazine's headquarters. Early photographers associated with the magazine included Jules Beau; the young Marcel Rol made his debut there, and Louis Lucien Faure-Dujarric produced year-end issues. The magazine was animated by the Olympic spirit promoted by Pierre de Coubertin and featured athletes of all disciplines, origins, and genders on its covers. In 1900, Alexandre Natanson was appointed director. In 1912, the title was shortened to simply Vie au grand air. Publication was interrupted on 2 August 1914 (issue no. 828) due to World War I, and resumed on 15 June 1916 (issue no. 829) as a quarterly. In 1916, Lafitte sold the title to Hachette et Cie but remained its director; he introduced a new quarterly formula with covers illustrated by a drawn, color composition signed by an artist. The magazine was partially absorbed by Très Sport, launched in 1922 by Hachette and Lafitte, and ceased publication definitively on 15 April 1922, disappearing entirely by 1926. Thierry Gervais, a historian specializing in the illustrated press, highlights La Vie au grand air—along with La Vie illustrée by Félix Juven—as the prototype of the magazine, a type of periodical in which "illustrations are much more numerous than in illustrated newspapers" and serve "complex layouts" that "aim to produce simultaneously meaning and spectacle." Gervais's analysis of the graphic design, art direction of covers, and interior pages demonstrates the use of close-ups, overlapping, and photomontage as early as 1904: "The modernity of the double pages of La Vie au grand air proceeds directly from the choice of photography as an illustrative mode, but also from a visual context in which cinematic forms have taken place."

• La Vie au grand air is launched on 1 April 1898 by Pierre Lafitte, published by J. Rueff et Cie, Éditeurs, as a bimonthly illustrated sports review.

• By the end of 1898, the cover is typically a large black-and-white photograph of a sports figure.

• Lafitte buys the title outright in 1899 and founds an eponymous publishing company at 9 avenue de l'Opéra, Paris.

• Alexandre Natanson is appointed director in 1900.

• The title is shortened to Vie au grand air in 1912.

• Publication is interrupted on 2 August 1914 (issue no. 828) due to World War I.

• Publication resumes on 15 June 1916 (issue no. 829) as a quarterly; Lafitte sells the title to Hachette et Cie but remains director.

• The magazine ceases publication definitively on 15 April 1922, partially absorbed by Très Sport.

• The magazine disappears entirely by 1926.

A pioneering illustrated sports magazine that combined photography and modern layout to produce both meaning and spectacle, aimed at a broad readership interested in sports and the Olympic spirit.

• La Vie au grand air (bimonthly, then weekly)

  Illustrated sports magazine with photographic covers, 16 pages, priced 25 centimes initially.

• Vie au grand air (quarterly)

  New quarterly formula from 1916 with drawn, color covers signed by an artist.

1. 1La Vie au grand air — Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org
2. 2La Vie au grand air — Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Gallica — À proposgallica.bnf.fr
4. 4Gallica — La Vie au grand air (digital collection)gallica.bnf.fr
5. 5Advanced search | Gallicagallica.bnf.fr