Tribute to Monique Jacot

“I wanted to bear witness. Activism is linked to my journey as a woman. I have always been independent, self-reliant, active. I wanted to bear witness to the conditions of women in the world of work. I have always seen myself as being the equal too men. But I am also fully aware that women have been restricted to certain roles.”  - Monique Jacot

These words from Swiss photographer, Monique Jacot (1934-2024), are particularly resonant given how our society is marked by feminist battles. Her work cannot be summarised by a single image, but this one is particularly topical. Belonging to a generation for whom being a photographer was synonymous with a humanist commitment, the artist developed a photographic style with a deep sensitivity from the very outset.

In 1956, after completing her education at the École des arts et métiers in Vevey, where she studied under the photographer Gertrude Fehr, she decided to sell her pictures to the written press. At the time, photojournalism was a burgeoning profession. Photographers were leaving their studios to discover the world. Monique Jacot published her first works in La Gazette Littéraire, before heading to Zurich where she developed a privileged relationship with the German-speaking press. She subsequently worked for newspapers and magazines in Switzerland and abroad (Die Woche, Schweizer Illustrierte, DU, Camera, Réalités, Times, Geo and more).

At a time when the profession of photographer was dominated by men, she quickly earned commissions, while noting that certain editors limited her to so-called feminine subjects. She worked with magazines intended for a predominantly female readership, such as Annabelle and Femina in Switzerland, Vogue and ELLE in France. During the 1960s, she completed a trilogy focusing on young girls, taking her to Prague, France and England. In 1984, she began a work on the daily life of rural Swiss women, a project that was published in 1989 undert the title Femmes de la terre. Two other subjects were to follow. Printemps de Femmes (1991-1993), focusing on the feminist movements in Switzerland, then Cadences. L’usine au féminin, which took the form of an exhibition that premièred in 1999. For over fifteen years, Monique Jacot showed great solidarity as she observed at first hand the condition of women in Switzerland, illustrating that photo-documentary had retained all its relevance.

Later, she would move away from photojournalism to undertake uncomissioned, independent projects that gained recognition through publications and exhibitions. Monique Jacot earned her place in the world of Swiss photography through classic work in black and white, but was never afraid to follow other paths, with increasingly abstract and poetic photography. Her works bear witness to an artist who worked with complete freedom. Following her death in August 2024 just before her 90th birthday, we pay tribute to her.