Julien Mandel (1893 – 1961) was a Jewish photographer and filmmaker. He was one of the best-known commercial photographers of female nudes of the early twentieth century. He worked in

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and his signature photography became known in the 1910s and was published through the mid-1930s by such firms as Armand Noyer, Les Studios, P-C Paris, and the Neue Photographische Gesellschaft.

Photographic work

He produced erotic

postcard A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...

s. The models often are found in highly arranged classical poses, and were photographed in-studio and outdoors. The images are artfully composed with exquisite tones and soft lighting— showing a particular texture created by light rather than shadow. Reportedly, Mandel was a member of, and participated in, the German

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

"new age outdoor" or "

plein air ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or ''plein air'' painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting ...

" movement. Numerous pictures sold under this name feature natural settings, playing on the ultra pale, uniform skin tones of the women set against the roughness of nature. The nude photographs were marketed in a

-sized format, but as ''A Brief History of Postcards'' explains: "A majority of the French nude postcards were called postcards because of the size. They were never meant to be postally sent. It was illegal to send such images in the post (see History of erotic photography). The size enabled them to be placed readily into jacket pockets, packages, and books. J. Mandel usually appears on the front of these card-sized photographs, being one of the few photographers of the day to stamp or sign a name on the front of works. Large numbers were sold. Julian (Julien) Mandel has been compared to Stanisław Julian Ignacy Ostroróg who also created "plein-air" and exquisite deco-style nudes in the 1920s.

Personal life

Julien Mandel was married in France to Marie Lefebvre, they had a son named Jacques Marcel. In 1935, Julien Mandel left France permanently and went to live in

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. With George Mandel-Mantelo, Harry Baur and others he was helping Jews from France to migrate to the United States,

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and other countries, especially Brazil. In Brazil he raised a new family, marrying Maria de Lourdes Brochier Medeiros, their children were Neli Elisabeth Medeiros Mandel, António Sérgio Medeiros Mandel and Sílvia Mônica Medeiros Mandel. Julien Mandel concealed being a Jew, certainly to help Jews escape the Nazis.

Gallery

File:Female nude posed under an arch by Julian Mandel.jpg, circa 1920 Nude by Julien Mandel circa 1925.jpg, circa 1925 Harem-Mädchen by Julien Mandel.jpg file:French postcard showing a nude woman by Julian Mandel.jpg File:Akt mit Spiegel by Julien Mandel.jpg File:Julian Mandel-5.jpg File:Akt mit Schuhen by Julien Mandel.jpg File:040 - Studio J. Mandel, c.1905.jpg File:Julian Mandel 6.jpg File:Marionnette à fils by J. Mandel - 3.tif File:Nude by Julian Mandel, c. 1925.jpg File:Seitlich nackt by J. Mandel.jpg File:Weiblicher Akt01 by J. Mandel.jpg

Family photographs

File:Julien Mandel Photo 4.jpg, Family photo File:Julien Mandel Photo 6.jpg File:Julien_Mandel Photo 1.1.jpg, Julian Mandel File:Photographer friend of Julien Mandel.jpg File:Julien Mandel Photo 1.jpg File:Jacques Marcel Mandelbaum (left) and his father Julien (Julian) Mandel Mandelbaum (right).jpg, Jacques Marcel Mandelbaum

References

External links