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The magical photography of Madeleine de Sinéty

At the Portland Museum, a French artist's striking black-and-white brings small, old worlds to life

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    Courtesy of Madeleine de Sinéty

    Madeleine de Sinéty (France, b. 1939), "Serge Vitry and Mr. Brasseur, engineer and fireman," 1972.

    One of the many photographs of French steam train operators taken by Madeleine de Sinéty early on in her career.

  • Taken

    Courtesy of Madeleine de Sinéty

    Madeleine de Sinéty (France, b. 1939), "Christine and Collette -- First Communion," 1974.

    Taken in Poilley, a tiny village in rural Brittany where de Sinéty lived and worked for many years.

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    Courtesy of Madeleine de Sinéty

    Madeleine de Sinéty (France, b. 1939), "Marie-Christine and Her Hen," Poilley, 1975.

  • The

    Courtesy of Madeleine de Sinéty

    Madeleine de Sinéty (France, b. 1939), "Four Loaves," 1993.

    The family of a Poilley baker, photographed in the early 1990s -- more than 20 years after de Sinéty first visited the French town.

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    Courtesy of Madeleine de Sinéty

    Madeleine de Sinéty (France, b. 1939), "The Widow," Poilley, 1991.

  • After

    Courtesy of Madeleine de Sinéty

    Madeleine de Sinéty (France, b. 1939), "Dressing Up for the Flower Festival," 2001.

    After moving to America and settling in Maine, the artist visited (and photographed) Poilley again in the early 2000s.

  • Portrait

    Courtesy of Madeleine de Sinéty

    Madeleine de Sinéty (France, b. 1939), "Matt Lord," 1988.

    Portrait of Matt Lord, a horse logger from Chesterville, Maine.

  • Matt

    Courtesy of Madeleine de Sinéty

    Madeleine de Sinéty (France, b. 1939), "Matt Lord -- Snow Falling," 1991.

    Matt Lord working in the Maine woods with his two Belgian draft horses.

  • Behind

    Courtesy of Madeleine de Sinéty

    Madeleine de Sinéty (France, b. 1939), "William Wegman at Work," 1992.

    Behind the scenes at the photo shoot for William Wegman's book "Little Red Riding Hood," in Rangeley, Maine.

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    Courtesy of Madeleine de Sinéty

    Madeleine de Sinéty (France, b. 1939), "Portland, Maine -- Mother," 1995.

  • In

    Courtesy of Madeleine de Sinéty

    Madeleine de Sinéty (France, b. 1939), "School Girls Jumping over String," 1998.

    In the late 1990s and early 2000s, at the invitation of an African diplomat she had met at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., de Sinéty traveled to a Ugandan village called Paidha to document the lives of its inhabitants.

  • Like

    Courtesy of Madeleine de Sinéty

    Madeleine de Sinéty (France, b. 1939), "Pounding Cassava -- Paidha," 1998.

    Like her photographs of rural towns in France and Maine, de Sinéty's Ugandan works depict a community defined by its natural life cycles -- and largely independent of modern technology.

  • According

    Courtesy of Madeleine de Sinéty

    Madeleine de Sinéty (France, b. 1939), "Wedding, Paidha --Bridal Party," 1999.

    According to exhibition curator Susan Danly, de Sinéty's photographs of Paidha helped raise nearly three-quarters of a million dollars toward the building of a hospital in the region.