Born in Paris in 1896, Jean Roubier started his photographer and illustrator career at the age of 34. He served as a Captain on the Maginot Line in 1939 before being wounded and taken prisoner a year later. Once demobilized, he resumed his work, shooting a lot of portraits, and refused to collaborate with the newspapers under the Occupation. He then joined the Resistance forces, illegally reproducing maps, plans and files on microfilms. From the early days of the liberation of Paris, Jean Roubier settled at the headquarters of the “Paris Soir”, a former collaborationist newspaper, recently occupied by the French Forces of the Interior. From August 19 to 25, he photographed the barricades, the Place de la Concorde and the bombed facades. On August 26, he attended the parade of the 2nd Armored Division in the presence of the General de Gaulle. After the Liberation, the National Liberation Movement asked him to set up a new professional organization of photography. After the war and until 1970, he worked intensively; participating on projects with the major European editors specialized in art books. Tirelessly, he alternated photographic campaigns throughout Europe and publications of books. He died in Paris in 1981. Jean Roubier’s collection on the Liberation of Paris is distributed by the Roger-Viollet photo agency.
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