This is a sad story, but I thought it was important to share. These pictures are from an abandoned estate in France. In the 1980s, the family who lived here was in a horrific car accident that killed everyone except the mother. Her husband and two young children were lost in the accident.
The mother's grief was unbearable and she stayed in this large house by herself for years. She used the walls and scribbled thoughts and poems all throughout the house. One such line in French reads… "Here, I don’t feel loneliness: who knows? Maybe I’m not really alone." As her mental state declined, she was institutionalized, where she eventually died. Today, everything remains as if a family was still living there.
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The exterior
This particular house is well-known in France by urban explorers. It has been like this for a long time. I was shown this place by a French explorer who is also my friend. Usually, I find abandoned houses just by driving around certain areas or using Google maps.
The dining room, covered with thoughts and poems
The woman who survived the accident spent years in the large estate with her mental health declining before she was institutionalized and passed away. The house walls are covered in poems and thoughts she painted to help her cope with her loss. In this image, if you look closely enough, you can read some of these poems.
The back wall in blue on the left (most likely her own words): "Here, I don’t feel loneliness: who knows? Maybe I’m not really alone."
Back wall center in green: "To gregarious vacationing, I prefer my familiar backyard... (with or without sunscreen). It's a matter of personality, as would say La Bruyére."
Upper left wall: "On the walls to be repainted; On the sunlit trees; On my intense 50 years I write your name." -Laferté
In green behind the green chair: “To those who rise up early God helps them.”
The red writing says: "You have to believe, of course, believe in yourself" -Françoise Giroud.
An upstairs bedroom
An abandoned bedroom inside of the house. I believe this was the children's bedroom.
Family clothing
An upstairs bedroom
I learned about the tragic backstory of this house from a person who showed me the house. I believe it was in the news as well back when it happened. It was very eerie to photograph as well as quite sad, specifically seeing children's belongings and photographs of them.
Dining room walls
The secret bed behind the dining room walls
I love that each picture can tell a story on its own but a series of photographs is really like reading a book. I love the mystery and I enjoy making others think about what's in a particular photograph. If they are thinking about an image, then hopefully they will remember it in the future as well.
The woman's bedroom
What remains in the bedroom of a woman who lost her entire family in an auto accident.
Beside objects
The children
Upstairs bedroom
The woman's bathroom
The living room
Inside a bedroom
Family clothes
A dresser top
An old photo
The kitchen
Pots on the wall
A downstairs window
Abandoned places as well as models for fashion editorials were the first things I started photographing. Particularly photographing models in abandoned places. I still prefer photographing people rather than buildings.
I am currently working on a photography book of abandoned places throughout Europe after the success of the American Decay. So there are many more abandoned locations with many different stories behind them coming. I look forward to sharing those as well!