Laure Albin-Guillot, Ballerina Janine Charrat, c. 1946. Vintage Fresson print, 11.94 x 8 inches (30.3 x 20.3 cm). Unmounted, unsigned.
Janine Charrat was already a star at the age of 13 when, in 1938, her acting and dancing in the motion picture, "Ballerina," brought her international acclaim. A successful film career might have been hers, but instead she continued her ballet studies with the top teachers in Paris. She soon attracted the attention of Serge Lifar, under whose sponsorship she made her first professional appearances. She became the dance partner of Roland Petit and had such success that the critics dubbed her the "Little Princess." When Petit formed his Ballets des Camps Elysees, she became a featured ballerina with the company. Other major companies sought her out, and soon her international reputation was established. She added choreography to her accomplishments, and her works began to be performed throughout Europe. In 1952 Janine Charrat created her own company, a virtuoso group in which each dancer is a highly accomplished artist. After its highly successful debut in Paris, a leading critic wrote, "The Little Princess in now our Queen." Provenance: Photographer's Estate; Andre Jammes.
Her images can be found in the following collections among others: the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Yale University Art Gallery, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Societe Française de Photographie, the George Pompidou Museum of Modern Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art, the George Eastman House, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), the Bibliotèque Nationale, the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Centre for Architecture, and the Akron Art Museum. Her photographic work has sold for as high as $20,000 at auction.
Information on Albin-Guillot can be found in the George Eastman House, and the Auer and Auer databases. She is also mentioned in Larousse's Dictionnaire Mondial De La Photographie: Des Origines à nos Jours, Witkin and London's The Photograph Collector's Guide, Lionel-Marie's Collection de Photographies du Musee National d'Art Modern, Naomi Rosenblum's A History of Women Photographers, and Christian Bouqueret's Les Femmes Photographes: De La Nouvelle Vision en France 1920-1940. But, of course, Christian Bouqueret's Laure Albin Guillot ou La Volonte d'Art is the most important reference work on this artist. Biography available. Inv. 7207
