Émile Hamonic
Émile Eugène Louis Hamonic (born August 26, 1861 in Moncontour , † July 24, 1943 in Saint-Brieuc ) was a French photographer and publisher who was associated with the postcard boom of the early 20th century. In 1893 he established himself as a publisher of picture postcards in Saint-Brieuc and became one of the first major publishers of the genre.
His maps typically showed idealized images of his homeland, Brittany . He was also a staunch advocate of Breton regionalism and was an active member of the Breton Regionalist Union .
Life
He was born on August 26, 1861 in Moncontour on the Côtes-du-Nord as one of nine children. Hamonic's family ran a hardware store, buying and selling antiques. His parents took him on their shopping trips in the area and he became a passionate lover of the brand new velocipede . He was trained by a photographer in Dinard and after his military service he settled as a professional photographer in Moncontour and later moved to Saint-Brieuc.
Postcards
Hamonic was one of the first to recognize the development of the postcard to France. In order to offer photographers and painters like him an outlet, he founded the Éditions d'art Hamonic in Saint-Brieuc . His venture was a great success, capitalizing on the popularity of the picturesque Brittany images for tourists, which were abundant in the summer months. These postcards are usually signed with "Hamonic" or rarely with "EH".
He is particularly associated with Théodore Botrel , as he often reproduced the lyrics of the popular chansonnier on his cards. Several of Botrel's ballads were illustrated postcard sequences in which the stories told in the songs were re-enacted in a series of dramatic tableaus. He also produced a number of Botrel commercials with his wife Léna.
From 1906 to 1909 he published the pictures of Jean-Marie Le Doaré. These cards are signed “Hamonic, the Doaré cliché”.
In 1922 he retired due to illness and left his business to his son Amaury.
Bretonism
Hamonic was one of the first members of the Breton Regionalist Union, founded in 1898. He actively promoted the Breton regionalist identity in his publications. He also contributed to the development of the Pan-Celtic movement by attending the 1904 Caernarfon Celtic Congress. In July 1906, together with Octave-Louis Aubert, he was one of the organizers of a pan-Celtic historical festival that took place in Saint-Brieuc. He was named Honorary Bard of the Gorsedd of Brittany.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Baud Cartopole. In: Cartolis. Retrieved January 18, 2020 (French).
- ↑ Stefan Zimmer: LÖFFLER, M .: 'A book of mad Celts': John Wicken and the Celtic Congress of Caernarfon 1904 / John Wicken a Chyngres Geltaidd Caernarfon 1904 . In: Journal of Celtic Philology . tape 53 , no. 1 , January 30, 2003, ISSN 0084-5302 , doi : 10.1515 / zcph.2003.330 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hamonic, Émile |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hamonic, Émile Eugène Louis (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French photographer and publisher |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 26, 1861 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Moncontour |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 24, 1943 |
| Place of death | Saint-Brieuc |