Disappeared at age 93 Françoise Bornet, the young woman in Doisneau's famous Kiss

She passed away on Christmas Day in Évreux, Normandy, Françoise Bornet. If apparently her name does not ring a bell, she is nonetheless the protagonist of one of the best-known black-and-white photographs of the 20th century. Françoise Bornet was in fact the young woman whom Robert Doisneau in 1950 immortalized in his famous shot Le Baiser de l’Hôtel de Ville.

She was 20 years old at the time. She passed away on December 25 at the age of 93, as reported by the newspaper Le Parisien, which published the news of her passing after the funeral had taken place.

Born Françoise Delbart, the young woman was anapprentice actress, as was her boyfriend at the time, Jacques Carteaux, the young man pictured. The American magazine Life commissioned Doisneau to do a report on lovers in Paris. The famous photographer noticed the couple on the terrace of a café, asked them to pose for him at different locations in the French capital, and eventually the shot taken in front of the Hôtel de Ville became world famous and iconic, as it still is today.

Their love affair ended, however: he became a winemaker and she played small roles in a dozen or so films and married Alain Bornet, a director of advertising and industrial films, for which she often provided the voiceover.

Disappeared at age 93 Françoise Bornet, the young woman in Doisneau's famous Kiss

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.