GARAGES, YESTERYEAR ATMOSPHERES

When a historian sets out in search of iconographic documents for his works, he sometimes comes across photographs of rare intensity. Black and white has this marvellous faculty of inspiring dreams and bringing a new dimension, compared to colour photographs, which tell the "real life" story, without embellishment or sentiment.

Dominique Pagneux offers us a fascinating journey in texts and photographs, in black and white, into the world of garages and the everyday life of the automobile from the 1910s to the 1970s. Page by page, through a nostalgic air and a poetic eye, one explores the mechanical atmospheres and the inner workings of certain garages and service stations of bygone days, sometimes captivated by the architecture of the buildings. Through these garages and factories, one rediscovers in particular certain chapters of the automotive history of the Panhard & Levassor, Citroën, Peugeot and Renault marques.

Brilliantly presented by Dominique Pagneux, « Garages, Ambiances D'hier » delivers powerful moments of rare intensity, manifested in particular details of these famous garages: a windscreen, a raised bonnet, a reflection on the bodywork, oil stains on the floor… The black-and-white photographs capture instants of life and memorable dreams, while unveiling the mysteries of these old garages.

Dominique Pagneux specialises in works on the history of vintage automobiles, for magazines and specialist publishers, including ETAI. He is the author of several titles such as: « Citroën CX, une lignée prestigieuse », « La Citroën DS 1955-1967 », « La Simca Vedette », « Les utilitaires français légers depuis 1944 », « Philippe Charbonneaux, Esthète et styliste », « Henri Chapron » and « Matra de route ».