…of George VI, that is, the new king’s grandpapa. The young photographer was sent to London by ‘Ce Soir’ and decided to take a very different perspective.
He turned his back on the whole thing, horses, carriages, crowning, balcony scenes, and photographed the crowds.
GREAT BRITAIN. London. Coronation of King George VI. 12 May 1937.
“People had waited all night in Trafalgar Square in order not to miss any part of the coronation ceremony of George VI. Some slept on benches and others on newspapers. The next morning, one who was wearier than the others, had not yet wakened to see the ceremony for which he had kept such a late vigil.”
A quirky look at spectators is of course a regular feature of events coverage now, but must have caused a stir for the readership in 1937.
His reportage is being celebrated in ‘The Other Coronation’ at the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation in Paris until 3 September 2023. https://www.henricartierbresson.org/en/expositions/henri-cartier-bresson-couronnement/
aixcentric 
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