In the thirties, one of the first workers' cooperatives of photographers was created: the "Photographes Associés" (Associated Photographers). In 1938 it was taken over by Robert Delhay and its name was changed, becoming the LAPI Agency ("Les Actualités Photographiques Internationales"). The Agency continued operations during the Occupation and covered scenes of Paris and French daily life from 1939 to 1945. After the war, Robert Delhay became one of the official photographers of the Arch of Triumph until the 1970s. Roger-Viollet acquired this impressive collection--more than 630,000 negatives and 27,000 prints--in 1976.
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