Jean Reutlinger (born John Léo Reutlinger; 19 March 1891 – 22 August 1914) was a French photographer.

Biography

Jean Reutlinger was born John Léo Reutlinger on 19 March 1891 in the

2nd arrondissement of Paris The 2nd arrondissement of Paris (''IIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''deuxième'' (second/the second). It is governed locall ...

, the first child to photographer

Léopold-Émile Reutlinger Léopold-Émile Reutlinger (17 March 1863 – 16 March 1937) was a Peruvian-born French photographer. He came from a successful German-Jewish family of photographers. His uncle, Charles Reutlinger, founded the family's photography business, a ...

and Jeanne Françoise Emma Seure (1871–1955). Jean came from a successful German-Jewish family of photographers – his granduncle, Charles Reutlinger, immigrated from

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

to Paris in 1850 and founded the family's photography business, and his grandfather was the photographer

Émile Reutlinger Émile Reutlinger (born Emil August Reutlinger, August 27, 1825 – August 9, 1907) was a German-born French photographer. He was the younger brother of and the father of Léopold-Émile Reutlinger. Biography Emil August Reutlinger was born ...

. His father, Léopold-Émile, specialized in photographing stars of entertainment venues such as the

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Olympia (Par ...

and the

Folies Bergère 150px, Stanisław Julian Ignacy Ostroróg">Walery, 1927 The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the arc ...

, and was a pioneer of erotic photography. His maternal aunt was the theatre actress

Cécile Sorel Céline Émilie Seurre (7 September 1873 in Paris – 3 September 1966 in Trouville-sur-Mer), known as Cécile Sorel or the Comtesse de Ségur by marriage, was a French comic actress. She enjoyed great popularity and was known for her extravagant ...

. Jean had three younger siblings, sisters Yvonne (1896–1898) and Simone Hélène (1899–1967), and brother Jacques Roger (1901–1942). Reutlinger grew up in Paris and with his maternal grandparents who lived in

Orry-la-Ville Orry-la-Ville () is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. Orry-la-Ville-Coye station has rail connections to Amiens, Creil, Compiègne and Paris. Population See also * Communes of the Oise department The following is a lis ...

. He traveled to

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

in Germany several times to visit his paternal grandparents, and as a young adult he traveled to England and the US. From 1910 to 1914 he worked with his father at his studio on 21 Boulevard Montmartre.Karl Baedeker: ''Paris and its Environs''. Books on Demand, 2013, ISBN 978-3-956-56222-8, S. 42 (). He produced thousands of photographs in sepia and

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...

, and experimented with autochrome, an early form of

color photography Color photography (also spelled as colour photography in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is photography that uses media capable of capturing and reproducing colors. By contrast, black-and-white or gray-monochrome ...

. His photography subjects included

La Belle Otero Agustina del Carmen Otero Iglesias (4 November 1868 – 10 April 1965), better known as Carolina Otero or La Belle Otero, was a Spanish actress, dancer and courtesan. She had a reputation for great beauty and was famous for her numerous lovers. ...

Anna Held Helene Anna Held (19 March 1872 – 12 August 1918) was a Polish-born French stage performer of Jewish origin on Broadway. While appearing in London, she was spotted by impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, who brought her to America as his common-law ...

Cléo de Mérode Cléopâtre-Diane de Mérode (27 September 1875 – 17 October 1966) was a French dancer of the Belle Époque. She has been referred to as the "first real celebrity icon" and the "first modern celebrity". She was also the first woman whose photog ...

Gabrielle Réjane Gabrielle Réjane (), ''née'' Gabrielle Charlotte Réju (6 June 1856 – 14 June 1920), was a French actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The daughter of a former actor, Réjane studied at the Conservatoire national supérieur d'ar ...

Geneviève Lantelme Geneviève Lantelme (born Mathilde Hortense Claire Fossey, 20 May 1883 – 24/25 July 1911) was a French stage actress, socialite, fashion icon, and courtesan. Considered by her contemporaries to be one of the most beautiful women of the Belle Epo ...

Valentine de Saint-Point Valentine de Saint-Point (''née'' Anna Jeanne Valentine Marianne Glans de Cessiat-Vercell; 16 February 1875, Lyon – 28 March 1953, Cairo) was a French writer, poet, painter, playwright, art critic, choreographer, lecturer and journalist. She ...

, and his girlfriend, the bookbinder Germaine Schroeder. He often posed his models in a comedic, tragic, or classical style. Reutlinger, who was athletic and enjoyed sports, befriended and photographed the German athlete and sculptor

Hanns Braun Hans Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Braun (26 October 1886 – 9 October 1918) was a German athlete. Biography He was born in ''Wernfels'' (today Spalt) and died near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, France as fighter-pilot in an airplane-crash in World War I. ...

. In Paris, Reutlinger frequented circles of writers who also practiced

rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop (rhythmic gymnastics), hoop, ball (rhythmic gymnastics), ball, Clubs (rhythmic gymnastics), clubs, ribbon (rhythmic gymnastics), ...

, similar to

eurythmy Eurythmy is an expressive movement art originated by Rudolf Steiner in conjunction with his wife, Marie, in the early 20th century. Primarily a performance art, it is also used in education, especially in Waldorf schools, and – as pa ...

. He also photographed himself in various athletic positions, and worked as a fencer. In 1912, he participated in the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

' masters athletics. Under various pseudonyms, one of them being ''Doriane G.'', an homage to

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

, he wrote sports articles for ''La Vasque'' and ''L'Auto'', amongst others. In addition to his sports articles, he also published poetry in ''La Vasque'' with Schroeder. Reutlinger family grave at Montparnasse

In October 1913, Reutlinger was conscripted into the army and joined the 92nd Infantry Regiment. At the beginning of World War I, Reutlinger asked Schroeder to visit his

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

in order to give her numerous personal documents "as if he had foreseen his death". Reutlinger died in the

Battle of the Ardennes The Battle of the Ardennes took place during the First World War fought on the frontiers of France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg from 21 to 23 August 1914. The German armies defeated the French and forced their retreat. The battle was part ...

on 22 August 1914; he was wounded twice and continued to fight before being fatally wounded. At the time of his death, he was attached to the 67th Regiment during the offensive towards La Chiers. He was buried at

Montparnasse Cemetery Montparnasse Cemetery () is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the city's 14th arrondissement of Paris, 14th arrondissement. The cemetery is roughly 47 acres and is the second largest cemetery in Paris. The cemetery has over 35,00 ...

alongside his sister Yvonne. His parents and two siblings were buried with them upon their deaths.Geert Buelens: ''Europas Dichter und der Erste Weltkrieg''. Suhrkamp : Frankfurt 2014, ISBN 978-3-518-73707-1 (). After his death, Schroeder looked after his estate. Reutlinger's photographs are now preserved at the

Bibliothèque nationale de France The (; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites, ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository of all that is published in France. Some of its extensive collections, including bo ...

. In 1917, the diplomat Pierre Combret de Lanux said of him in his book ''Young France and New America'', "My friends

Alain-Fournier Henri-Alban Fournier (; 3 October 1886 – 22 September 1914),Mémoire des hommes
Secrétariat ...

, Baguenier-Désormeaux, Jean Reutlinger, Armand de Montoussém – and my countless brothers whose names I do not know – you were the best among us and now you leave a heavy task for us to perform. We shall miss you not with the heart only; we shall miss your energies and advice." In 1922 Reutlinger was posthumously awarded the

Médaille militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' (, "Military Medal") is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...

and honored with the

Mort pour la France (, ) is a legal expression in France and an honour awarded to people who died during a conflict, usually in service of the country. Definition The term is defined in L.488 to L.492 (bis) of the ''Code of Military Disability Pensions and War ...

. In 1926, he was awarded the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

. In 2023, Reutlinger's Médaille militaire and Croix de Guerre were auctioned off by Morton & Eden in London and sold for 300GBP.https://www.biddr.com/auctions/mortonandeden/browse?a=3633&l=4207623

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reutlinger, Jean 1891 births 1914 deaths 20th-century French journalists 20th-century French male artists 20th-century French male writers 20th-century French photographers 20th-century French poets 20th-century pseudonymous writers Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery French male poets French military personnel killed in World War I French people of German-Jewish descent Journalists from Paris People of Montmartre Photographers from Paris Poets from Paris French sports journalists