A family affair, photographic archives and the menhirs of Carnac

Photographic archives and the menhirs of Carnac". Do you have a photograph that shows you or someone in your family in the Alignments of Carnac? Can you date it? We'd love to hear from you!"Initially conceived as a way of keeping in touch with subscribers to the Alignements de Carnac Facebook page during the period of confinement, the collection of souvenir photos began in March 2020, via the relevant social network. Maintained until 2022, this " harvest " has been particularly abundant: more than 250 photographs have been sent in, dating from 1920 for the oldest, to 2022 for the most recent.But what to do with this treasure after sharing one or two photos each week on the Alignements page?The families who took part quickly agreed to the idea of an exhibition at the Maison des Mégalithes in Carnac.enriched by focus sections written by several contributors, including Dominique Sellier, Olivier Agogué, François de l'R and Jarne Da Silva, the exhibition "A family affair" tackles a number of subjects as diverse as the history of photography, traditional Breton costume and the fragility of archaeological sites.All of which testify to the unsuspected richness of 'souvenir photography' as a source of information about the very identity of megalithic monuments and their history. As such, further work is underway to study and promote this inexhaustible popular iconography. A "family history" to follow...

To complete the collection: carnac@monuments-nationaux.fr