Laure Albin-Guillot

Known as the "muse of portraiture" Laure Albin-Guillot was a French photographer, working in the early 20th century.  Her career took off after winning a gold medal in a contest hosted by Revue Francaise de Photographie in 1922. Just a few years later, in 1925, she was featured in the first single-artist exhibition at the Paris Autumn Salon. By the 1930s, Albin-Guillot's name was revered in the world of French photography. 

Albin-Guillot worked in various genres, including portraiture, nudes, landscapes, advertising and decorative photomicrography. In fact, when it comes to photomicrography, Ablin-Guillot was one of the first French artists to explore the decorative aspect of the scientific realm. The interest likely sprung from her husband, who collected and studied micro-organisms.

Albin-Guillot also collaborated with a number of artists and literary figures during her lifetime. One such example was Henry de Montherlant's "La déesse Cypris" for which she produced twelve nude photographs.

During her lifetime Laure Albin-Guillot served as a member of the Société des artistes décorateurs, the Société Française de Photographie, director of photographic archives for the Direction générale des Beaux-Arts (forerunner of the Ministry of Culture) and first curator of the Cinémathèque nationale. She also served as the president of the Union Féminine des Carrières Libérales.

During her lifetime Laure Albin-Guillot served as a member of the Société des artistes décorateurs and the Société Française de Photographie. She also served the director of photographic archives at the Direction générale des Beaux-Arts (later replaced by the Ministère de la Culture in 1959) and was the first curator of the Cinémathèque nationale. She also served as the president of the Union Féminine des Carrières Libérales.