Everyday life Photography for Sale

In the 1830s, Nièpce discovered how to print images onto metal plates. When he died in 1833, Louis Daguerre, followed by Francois Arago, continued to develop his research, resulting in the invention of the daguerreotype which consisted of an image printed onto a silver plate when exposed to the light. Together they had invented photography.

The first ever photographs began to appear. Initially used for research purposes, photography started to spread as daguerreotype studios opened everywhere. Portrait photography immortalized the faces of the upper middle classes and were later used to capture all members of society. Celebrities were also a popular subject choice and many photographers specialized in taking their portraits, as Jean-Loup Sieff did all throughout his career almost a century after the invention of photography.

In the beginning, taking a portrait or even the simplest of family photos required a great deal of preparation and time in the studio. However, key technological developments brought about the invention of more compact cameras including the Leica and later the digital single-lens reflex, which meant shorter exposure times and made it easier to produce a greater number of photographs.

These advances also helped contribute to the development of the genre of everyday life photography, which became more popular at the end of the Second World War and focused at first on photographing wealthy or urban families. Families, couples, communities... artists were interested in everyday moments (marriage, lovers kissing, children's games). The simplest of moments in life were seen as the most important and were immortalized in film as testaments to the beauty of human life.

Some of the great photographers made a name for themselves in the genre. Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, David Goldblatt, Martin Parr and Vivian Maier are only a few of the artists associated with everyday life photography.

Vivian Maier is an American photographer who was born in 1926 in New York. A professional nanny in Chicago, she spent her spare time photographing the world around her and produced around 150,000 photos. Having remained anonymous throughout her artistic life, her genius and photographic accomplishments were finally recognized publicly in 2007.

Cofounder of the Magnum Photographic Cooperative in 1947 alongside David Seymour and Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson was a pioneer of photojournalism but also an excellent photographer in a more artistic sense. He revolutionized photography by working with incredibly lightweight equipment. He didn't use a tripod or a darkroom and treasured a sense of immediacy when taking photographs. He believed that “above all else, the camera is a sketchbook". Henri Cartier-Bresson's photographic technique is unique and unmistakably recognizable. He never photographed with flash and only worked with natural light, something which was highly characteristic of everyday life photography. Often in the same black and white image, the subjects coexist together but are not centred. His framing, focus and depth of field all help us to see the simple beauty of everyday life that he so exquisitely enhances.

Artsper has a range of everyday life photographs for you to discover, including works from Cartier-Bresson as well as many other artists, whose photos reveal the precious moments of the everyday lives of people from around the world.

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Painting, Love Story VI, Alik Gerber

Alik Gerber

Painting . 100 x 100 x 3.5 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.4 inch

€3,574

Photography, Human sense I, Sven Pfrommer

Sven Pfrommer

Photography . 80 x 160 x 3 cm Photography . 31.5 x 63 x 1.2 inch

€2,390

Painting, Extérieur Nuit, Helen Uter

Helen Uter

Painting . 101 x 51 x 4 cm Painting . 39.8 x 20.1 x 1.6 inch

€1,900

Painting, Lilacs, Siranush Vardanyan

Siranush Vardanyan

Painting . 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting . 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

€800

Painting, Lorry Station, Ablade Glover

Ablade Glover

Painting . 101.6 x 154.9 x 5.1 cm Painting . 40 x 61 x 2 inch

€25,088

Painting, Flying Circus, Elena Borstein

Elena Borstein

Painting . 114.3 x 91.4 x 3.8 cm Painting . 45 x 36 x 1.5 inch

€7,168

Painting, Courtship, Oleksandr Vynnyk

Oleksandr Vynnyk

Painting . 53 x 71 x 0.5 cm Painting . 20.9 x 28 x 0.2 inch

€269

Painting, Juin, Yoann Merienne

Yoann Merienne

Painting . 150 x 150 x 5 cm Painting . 59.1 x 59.1 x 2 inch

€12,000

Painting, Promenade, Lee Yu Min

Lee Yu Min

Painting . 20 x 20 x 4 cm Painting . 7.9 x 7.9 x 1.6 inch

€190

Painting, Venise, Roberto Gherardi

Roberto Gherardi

Painting . 41 x 56 x 1 cm Painting . 16.1 x 22 x 0.4 inch

€1,063

Painting, Jazz a Nice, Richard Boigeol

Richard Boigeol

Painting . 73 x 92 x 2.5 cm Painting . 28.7 x 36.2 x 1 inch

€3,400

Painting, Lute & Flute, Valerie Vescovi

Valerie Vescovi

Painting . 121.9 x 50.8 x 2 cm Painting . 48 x 20 x 0.8 inch

€1,120

Painting, In the Field, Ilia Balavadze

Ilia Balavadze

Painting . 40 x 60 x 3 cm Painting . 15.7 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch

€1,100

Painting, At the Dacha, Akim Levich

Akim Levich

Painting . 90 x 85 x 2 cm Painting . 35.4 x 33.5 x 0.8 inch

€7,500

Painting, Vador essentiel, David Cumps

David Cumps

Painting . 90 x 90 x 2 cm Painting . 35.4 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch

€2,400 €2,160

Painting, Yellow Flag, Alexander Levich

Alexander Levich

Painting . 70 x 120 x 2 cm Painting . 27.6 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch

€3,050

Painting, Cold Feet, Zakhar Shevchuk

Zakhar Shevchuk

Painting . 50 x 40 x 1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

€1,200

Painting, Dreams Come True, Gala Bond

Gala Bond

Painting . 70 x 70 x 4 cm Painting . 27.6 x 27.6 x 1.6 inch

€1,882

Painting, Wave of Still-Life, Sa Hara

Sa Hara

Painting . 111 x 72 x 3 cm Painting . 43.7 x 28.3 x 1.2 inch

€3,000

Painting, A bicyclette, VirJnie

VirJnie

Painting . 60 x 50 x 2 cm Painting . 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

€230 €207

Photography, Homeboys (L), Brice Gelot

Brice Gelot

Photography . 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography . 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch

€8,000

Photography, Hood raised (L), Brice Gelot

Brice Gelot

Photography . 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography . 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch

€8,000

Photography, Misled youth (L), Brice Gelot

Brice Gelot

Photography . 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography . 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch

€8,000

Photography, Backyard buzz (L), Brice Gelot

Brice Gelot

Photography . 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography . 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch

€8,000

Photography, East los (L), Brice Gelot

Brice Gelot

Photography . 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography . 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch

€8,000

Photography, Prayers (L), Brice Gelot

Brice Gelot

Photography . 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography . 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch

€8,000

Photography, Venice 213 (L), Brice Gelot

Brice Gelot

Photography . 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography . 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch

€8,000

Photography, District 4 (L), Brice Gelot

Brice Gelot

Photography . 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography . 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch

€8,000

Photography, Liem barber (L), Brice Gelot

Brice Gelot

Photography . 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography . 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch

€8,000

Photography, Breakfast, Dina Goldstein

Dina Goldstein

Photography . 112 x 144 x 1 cm Photography . 44.1 x 56.7 x 0.4 inch

€8,500

Painting, Ananas, Ed Potapenkov

Ed Potapenkov

Painting . 160 x 150 x 2 cm Painting . 63 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch

€6,000

Painting, Step Forward, Leo Ray

Leo Ray

Painting . 34 x 49 x 0.5 cm Painting . 13.4 x 19.3 x 0.2 inch

€502

Painting, Echange, Jaja

Jaja

Painting . 81 x 65 x 3 cm Painting . 31.9 x 25.6 x 1.2 inch

€1,200

Painting, Paris II, Dima Gorban

Dima Gorban

Painting . 62 x 62 x 3 cm Painting . 24.4 x 24.4 x 1.2 inch

€1,180