An impressive collection of 1,000 historical photographs will be displayed this weekend in Étrelles, a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany, France. The exhibition represents the culmination of five years of dedicated photo collection efforts by local residents and history enthusiasts.

Christophe Harnois, president of the association "Il était une fois Étrelles" (Once Upon a Time Étrelles), has been collecting photographs related to the commune for the past five years. The images span from the 1920s through the late 1990s, providing a comprehensive visual history of the community. "The oldest photograph dates back to 1924 – it's a class photo," explained the passionate collector. In total, more than 1,000 images have been gathered to date.

Harnois has been sharing these photographs regularly on Facebook for several years, receiving overwhelmingly positive responses from the community. "In the comments, young people respond that they were able to see, for example, grandparents they had never seen photos of before! It's truly collective work that touches the greatest number of people," Harnois continued. He emphasized the historical significance of the collection, noting, "Photos were an expensive thing at the time, so it's a real opportunity to be able to gather so many."

To further develop the project, Harnois created the association "Il était une fois Étrelles" one year ago and surrounded himself with five fellow enthusiasts: Stephane Hillion, Odile Rubin, David Lebouc, Bernard Harnois, and Gilles Monnerie. Their primary objective was to organize an exhibition featuring all the collected photographs. The team embarked on the extensive work of printing the photos and mounting them on large panels.

The organization process involved careful classification by themes and dates, including categories such as "The town center," "The village from above," "The fair," and "Sports." All photographs are featured on these panels, creating a comprehensive photographic history of Étrelles over recent decades. This systematic approach ensures visitors can follow the evolution of the community through different periods and aspects of local life.

The weekend exhibition will take place at the Saint Hippolyte hall, running from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both Saturday, September 13, and Sunday, September 14, 2025. The event is open to all members of the public free of charge. To enhance the community celebration, organizers have arranged for refreshments and food service to be available on-site throughout both days.

This exhibition serves as a celebration of five years of collection efforts and community mobilization among Étrelles residents. "For the love of the village," concluded Christophe Harnois, who hopes to see large numbers of people attend the event and perhaps recognize familiar faces from their community's past. The exhibition represents not just a display of historical photographs, but a testament to the power of community collaboration in preserving local heritage and memories for future generations.