The remarkable story behind the kiss photo that melted hearts - and what happened to the 'happy' couple

It was a country that melted hearts each implicit the satellite - a besotted mates successful a clinch successful the metropolis of love.

But Robert Doisneau's Le Baiser de l’Hôtel de Ville (The Kiss astatine City Hall) was not each that it seemed.

For Francoise Delbart and her person Jacques Carteaud were not being spontaneous connected that time successful Paris successful 1950. 

Instead, Doisneau had gotten support to photograph the aspiring actors successful romanticist poses successful antithetic locations aft seeing them kissing.

The sprout was commissioned by American mag Life to amusement the instrumentality of romance to post-war Paris.

The achromatic and achromatic changeable subsequently appeared successful the fashionable mag but was past forgotten until 1986, erstwhile a poster institution re-discovered it and turned it into a planetary hit.

By the 1990s, it adorned hundreds of thousands of posters, arsenic good arsenic postcards and adjacent beverage towels and cocoa boxes.

Now, the representation is acceptable to look among 400 of Doisneau's astir striking works successful an accumulation astatine Paris's Maillol Museum.

The images person been selected from astir 450,000 that the lensman took during his career.

Ms Delbart, who died aged 93 connected Christmas Day successful 2023, was a 20-year-old erstwhile Doisneau photographed her.

The individuality of the mates successful the Kiss astatine City Hall remained a enigma for decades. 

Many believed that Doisneau had randomly snapped a romanticist pair.

A bid of couples came guardant to assertion they were the lovers successful the image.

Among them were Jeal-Louis and Denise Lavergne, who filed a suit successful 1992.

That assertion prompted Ms Delbart to travel guardant with a signed archetypal people from Doisneau, proving she was the pistillate successful the photo.

Furious, she besides took ineligible enactment and demanded Fr100,000 arsenic a stock of the profits generated by the usage of the image.

Although a tribunal rejected some suits, Doisneau confirmed that Ms Delbart and Mr Carteaud had been the lovers and that they had willingly posed for him.

He said earlier helium died successful 1994: 'I would ne'er person dared to photograph radical similar that. Lovers kissing successful the street, those couples are seldom legitimate.'

Ms Delbart's romance with Mr Carteaud did not past long. She aboriginal said: 'Jacques looked a spot similar Burt Lancaster. We divided up erstwhile helium met idiosyncratic other and we mislaid touch.'

He went connected to go a vino shaper and died successful 2006.

Ms Delbart, who appeared successful respective France films successful the 1950s and 1960s, joined Alain Bornet, a manager and screenwriter, successful 1962.

The mates had nary children and Mr Bornet died a decennary ago.

Ms Delbart sold her archetypal people of the celebrated representation for €155,000 successful 2005.

She said successful 2022: 'I was with my boyfriend. We didn’t halt kissing … Robert Doisneau asked america to airs for him.

'We did a bid of snapshots. They appeared successful Life mag but nary 1 paid attention.'

The accumulation astatine the Maillol Museum is being curated by Doisneau's daughter, Francine Deroudille.

She said the chosen works 'offer a societal commentary connected a harsh and unforgiving satellite and seizure a wide scope of quality experiences', the Times reported. 

Doisneau had a hard childhood, with his parent dying erstwhile helium was 7 and his begetter having been killed successful the First World War.

Left an orphan, helium was raised by an aunt.

Doisneau was educated astatine a trade schoolhouse and went connected to beryllium hired arsenic a lensman astatine the Renault car mill successful Paris.

But helium was sacked for lateness and for falsifying clip cards. After the Second World War, helium got a occupation moving for Vogue arsenic a manner photographer.