Jean-Baptiste Tournassoud

• Illustration — North African soldiers, 1915. Autochrome by Tournassoud. Tournassoud was born May 3, 1866, in Montmerle-sur-Saône. In 1879, he was first in the canton for the certificate of primary studies and followed a course in carpentry. At the end of his basic military service in 1887, Tounassoud remained with the Army and began a military career. He married Georgette Michel in 1901 and the following year became the father of a daughter named Juliette. He was a pioneer of color photography, using autochrome plates. As subject matter he particularly favoured the French Army of the years 1908-1914, both because of his own military background and because of the colourful uniforms of this period, worn even when on active service in Morocco. • Illustration — Tournassoud autochrome colour photograph of French 3rd Zouaves 1912 Tournassoud was director of the Photographic and Cinematographic Service of the War (French: Service photographique et cinématographique de la guerre - SPCG) from October 30, 1918, to September 30, 1919. He retired from the Army in 1920. He settled in Montmerle and remained a photographer until his death, in 1951, at the age of 84. Tournassoud left about 2,500 photographs, both black-and-white and color.

Collections of his works are owned by: • Institut Lumière, Lyon • Musée des Pays de l'Ain, Bourg-en-Bresse • Musée Nicéphore-Niépce, Châlon-sur-Saône • Musée Clemenceau, Paris • Museum of the Great War, Château de Péronne, Somme, France