L is for Look in Lausanne

Co-produced by the Institut pour la photographie in Lille and Photo Elysée, L is for Look explores the history of children's photobooks, from their industrial boom in the 1930s to the present day. 

While this body of work remains a niche phenomenon in the publishing world, it reflects how our perception of photography, the history of education, and the status of children in Western societies have evolved over the past century.

Children’s photo books are benefiting from the emergence of new, image-centered teaching methods. Photography is making its way into all genres of children’s literature—from picture books to fiction, as well as books designed for educational, instructional, or creative purposes. By revitalizing this publishing genre, it is also opening up to new and unique forms, thanks to collaborations with graphic designers, artists, illustrators, and authors.

The Exhibition

The exhibition brings together about 100 international works, with an emphasis on original photographic creations, in order to highlight this heritage, its characteristics, and its contemporary dimensions. Women photographers have played a major role in the history of children’s photo books, at the intersection of two fields long perceived as feminine: education and children’s portraiture. This trend led, in the 1970s, to the emergence of a new publishing genre dedicated to shaping children’s perspectives.

L is for Look it also offers a chance to take a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of a photography book, from the photo shoot to the original layouts of the works on display. Designed in collaboration with the outreach departments, the exhibition tour includes books available for visitors to browse freely, as well as interactive experiences designed for both children and adults.

Following its debut at Photo Elysée in the fall of 2025, L is for Look will be the subject of a European tour that will continue through 2028 at the Institut pour la photographie in Lille, after having been shown at four partner institutions: the Museum Folkwang in Essen, the Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles, the National Audiovisual Center (CNA) in Luxembourg, and Foto Arsenal in Vienna.

Learn more

Download the educational packet

↘︎ The catalog of L is for Look: Co-published with Spector Books—262 pages—Available in 3 languages (French, English, German)—Accompanies the exhibition—For sale online and at the Rencontres d’Arles—Price: €59.00

More information in the catalog

↘︎ Scientific Committee: Paul Cottin, advisor to the PoBoC association, which focuses on children’s photo books - Rose Durr, Ph. D. Candidate in anthropology and the history of photography, holding a CIFRe fellowship at the Institut pour la photographie - Florian Ebner, head of the Photography Department at the Centre Pompidou, Paris - Anne Lacoste, director of the Institut pour la photographie

↘︎ Executive Producer and Scientific Director: Institut pour la photographie

↘︎ Co-production: Institut pour la photographie and Photo Élysée