Sao Paulo
The actress Françoise Bornet, who became known worldwide through the photo “The Kiss at the Hôtel de Ville” by Frenchman Robert Doisneau, died on December 25th. She was 93 years old and the information was published this Tuesday, 2, by the newspaper Le Parisien.
The blackandwhite image, one of the most famous photos in the world, was taken in 1950 in a Paris still affected by the postwar years and shows Bornet kissing her thenboyfriend Jacques Corteaux. Both were performing arts students at the time.
“The Kiss at the Hôtel de Ville” was commissioned by Life magazine to illustrate an article about romance in the French capital. Initially, many believed that the clicking was spontaneous, but years later Doisneau revealed that this was not the case.
After separating from Corteaux, the actress met Alain Bornet, her great love. However, this didn't stop the romantic click from inspiring generations of lovers. In 1992, the photo broke a sales record as the bestselling image of its time, thanks to reproductions on posters, cards and other types of products.
The following year, Françoise Bornet went to court, demanding a percentage of sales of products bearing the image, but to no avail.