Eugène Pirou | |
|---|---|
 Eugène Pirou Circa 1906 | |
| Born | (1841-09-26)26 September 1841 |
| Died | 30 September 1909(1909-09-30) (aged 68) |
| Occupation(s) | photographer and filmmaker |
Louis Eugène Pirou (26 September 1841 – 30 September 1909) was a French photographer andfilmmaker, known primarily for his portraits of celebrities and scenes from theParis Commune. He was awarded a gold medal at theExposition Universelle of 1889.
He owned numerous studios in Paris, mostly on theBoulevard Saint-Germain, but he also operated one at an oldevangelical mission on theRue Royale.[1] That one was sold to a photographer named Arthur Herbert, in 1889, with permission to use Pirou's name. In 1898, Herbert sold the studio to the brothers Georges and Oscar Mascré (1865-1943), who continued to use Pirou's name without his permission. Pirou lost a complicated lawsuit against the brothers, who compounded the fraud by referring to the studio as "Otto-Pirou", in reference toOtto Wegener, a Swedish-born photographer who was also not associated with them.[2]
During the Exposition of 1889, he saw a presentation ofchronophotography, given by its inventor,Étienne-Jules Marey. Not long after, he decided to pursue the new art ofcinematography. He bought the necessary equipment in the summer of 1896 and, together with his employee,Albert Kirchner, who would later become a noted filmmaker in his own right, he filmed scenes of assorted events in Paris and showed them at the "Cinématographe Eugène Pirou" in the basement of theCafé de la Paix at thePlace de l'Opéra, with a projector designed byHenri Joly.
He and Kirchner later produced one of the first known erotic films,Le Coucher de la Mariée (generally calledBedtime for the Bride in English), starring an actress who went by the nameLouise Willy [af;ca;fr;vo]. It was mostly astriptease. He also produced a short film about the Parisian visit of TsarNicolas II in 1896.[2]
He was married twice. His first wife died in 1881 and his second in 1899.[3]
Media related toEugène Pirou at Wikimedia Commons
