Give the Costellos their due. It doesn't matter how many times they're told the man walking behind the embracing couple in Robert Doisneau's photograph The Kiss at City Hall or Le Baiser de l'Hôtel de Ville is not their Jack. To them, it's him and that's an end to it.
But not quite an end. I return to this story - which I, at any rate, find fascinating - because I have heard from another member of the family, this time Jack Costello's second eldest child, Walter (if a man of a certain age may be called a child).
Let me recap:
Paris, 1950. Doisneau, no stranger to photographer's licence, persuades a young couple he spotted on a cafe terrace to kiss for the camera. The extravagant clinch may have had romantic foundation, but perhaps owed even more to the couple's study of drama.
In time the photograph catches on. A million or more impressions are sold all over the world. It comes to symbolise love in the City of Romance, especially in the early post-war period.
But who is the chap walking past, oblivious to the embrace, behind the couple? The Costello family have no doubt. It was Jack, late father of Walter. The man in the photo is the spitting image; he was in Paris at the time on his one and only trip abroad, a motorcycle trek through Europe that led him, a devout Catholic, to St Peter's Square. The clothes, the demeanour...everything confirms, to the family, that it is Jack.
The spell is broken only when M Salut! contacts one of Doisneau's daughters, Francine Deroudille, and is told that while she is aware of the Irish family's belief, they are mistaken. The man in question was, in fact, a French Canadian called Gérard Petit. According to Francine, M Petit even made contact with her father, in 1989, and the two men met in Paris.
But the matter will not go away. Out of the blue, I have received this e-mail from Walter:
I am the second eldest in the Costello family and Colette the eldest. John actually discovered the photo or poster in Dublin and asked the mother and the rest is history. Anyway Just came across your article on the above and your chat with Pat, Colette and John, well just for the record, we have a photo of the dad setting out on his motorbike and if you enlarge the actual Doisneau photo you will see that Jack is wearing a ‘bawneen’ or heavy traditional Irish woollen sweater under the coat.The sweater or pullover, has twisted rope patterns and designs. The coat was coarse Irish tweed (very rough) with leather buttons and I remember the indignity of having it cut down for me when I was at school and wearing it in later years.
It was greenish with brown folded leather buttons and could stand on its own on the floor. We also played for years with his beret as a Frisbee – sort of- and it was black with a brown leather inner head band and had a small ribbon or bow where it was stitched at the back. There was a little top thing which you could hold it or pull it off someone! I understood that the Laverns were the kissing couple.
The bike was a Triumph 350cc Twin and the Reg was ZC 106 (will check when I get home). Jack could not believe that the motor bike could not keep up with most of the trucks and buses in France – Italy and got rid of it as soon as he came home. If you saw a photo of me (without moustache) and the same gear dad was wearing, you would know for sure it was Jack.
Great story the whole thing.
Walter lives in New South Wales, where he is chartered surveyor. He has confirmed in a follow-up message that he remains convinced the man is his father:
Thank you for replying and yes I really do believe that it is the dad, far too many coincidences and no doubt about the photos of Jack at the time- identical really and the one of him on the bike before setting off removes all doubt (in my own mind that is). It just shows you though, that even back then with no mobile phones and stuff – saying to them mother – I’m off to see the Pope for a couple of days – and then being caught on camera wandering around Paris – oops!
It would be wonderful if Francine Deroudille were to come forward and say, if more Frenchly: "Cripes. It really was Jack after all. We've just found a note Dad wrote before he died saying he's been mistaken about M Petit."
But don't hold your breath.
* See also: The passing mystery of a famous kiss
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