Since launching Twin Peaks Blog in February 2018, I’ve dreamed of identifying every prop used in Mark Frost and David Lynch’s wonderful and strange show. This article pushes that idea to the limit as I discuss a barely seen prop from Twin Peaks – Part 1 from The Return – Marjorie Green’s framed photo by Henri Cartier-Bresson.
MARJORIE GREEN’S FRAMED PHOTO BY HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON
I stumbled upon this publicity photo by on-set photographer Suzanne Tenner of Melissa Bailey holding a tan colored Chihuahua named Prissy.
In Part 1, Melissa plays the character named Marjorie Green while her dog’s name is Armstrong. In the Behind the Curtain footage from Part 1, Lynch calls out on a megaphone “Melissa and Prissy are a wrap” after shooting their scenes (this is how I discovered the dog’s real name).
If you look in the bottom right corner of this photo, you’ll spot a frame decorated with flowers containing a black and white image of two people kissing.
Scenes were shot on November 2, 2015 at an apartment building near Hollywood, California.
In the episode, the framed photograph is slightly difficult to see as the camera doesn’t enter the room.
You can see how the camera stops at the doorway after Melissa enters the room.
In the Behind the Curtain footage, we get a different angle as Melissa rehearses the scene.
I was unable to locate the floral photo frame. It could be something that was handmade making it difficult to find. But I did identify the black and white image.
UNTITLED (CAFÉ KISS) By HENRI CARTIER BRESSON
The untitled image was shot by Henri Cartier-Bresson in 1969 outside a bistro on Boulevard Diderot in Paris, France. The original, signed gelatin silver-photo was printed in the 1970s and measured 14 1/8 x 9½in. (36.3 x 24.5cm.). It was sold at auction by Christie’s in New York, New York on April 15, 2010 for $16,250 (holy smoke!). The auction estimate was between $7,000-$9,000.
The image in the frame is clearly not the original. It was most likely a smaller reproduction of this iconic shot which you can find online.
To find the image, I cropped the shot and ran it through Google Images. It didn’t take long to find a match.
There is a second black and white image on the other side table. It could also be a Cartier-Bresson photo but the detail is difficult to discern.
WHO IS HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON?
French photographer Cartier-Bresson was known as the father of street photography. He was born on August 22, 1908 in Chanteloup, France and died on August 3, 2004 at the age of 95 in Céreste.
Born into a wealthy family, his father ran a successful textile business while his mother came from a long line of cotton merchants. His father wanted him to pursue business but eventually caved into Henri’s artistic aspirations.
He originally wanted to be a painter and was inspired by Surrealists like Pablo Picaso and close friend Man Ray. But he never officially joined the movement during his career.
According to The Collector, Cartier-Bresson loved movement in his photography, which he called “the decisive moment.”
This was a moment when “all elements of the composition would align perfectly. The goal of the photographer was to recognize and capture this short instant.” Street photography offered him many opportunities to capture these “decisive moments” as nothing was planned. His goal was “to capture natural behavior and dynamism, which was close to impossible with people noticing the presence of a camera.”
It’s difficult to say why this particular photo was displayed. I’m assuming it was added when they decorated the room. Could this image be a favorite of Production Designer Ruth De Jong? Did David Lynch like Henri’s work? Whatever the reason, it’s nice to identify another prop from Twin Peaks.
