A Javanese Dancer: a Focal Point in Henris Life

One of the sources of esthetic inspiration for Henri Cartier-Bresson is Retna Mohini, a Javanese dancer and his first wife.

June 4, 2002

The old brochure accompanying the works of the French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson recently on display at the National Archives in Jakarta had lost its shade of brown. But the prints were still clearly legible:

Retna Mohini is Madame Cartier-Bresson. Her maiden name was Caroline Jeanne de Souza. Born May 17, 1904 to a Eurasian family in Meester Cornelis, a Portuguese enclave in the suburb of Batavia, Retna moved to Rembang in Central Java

...

More Articles