Today, I wandered yet again into the wonderful world of South-African blogger, Miss Moss, and discovered these beautiful photographs of traditionally dressed women carrying flowers in Portugal taken in the 1960s and 1990s by a Magnum photographer Bruno Barbey. 
Barbey was born in Morocco and grew up in various parts of the country: Rabat, Salé, Marrakech and Tangiers. Throughout his career, he travelled all over the world, mostly as a war photographer. He also captured photos of life around the world in peacetime, including these shot in the medieval Portuguese village of Obidos in the 1960s. Although a couple were also shot in the 1990s.
They look staged but, as Miss Moss says, there’s little information about the series online nor his website. Barbey also passed away in in 2020 so we can’t ask him, although we can find more about his career by reading his fascinating New York Times obituary. Until someone comes forward with extra information on the photographs, for now, we’ll have to make up our own stories. 
Other pictures in the mysterious series show women carrying fruit, vegetables, bread, petals, and animals as well as huge displays of flowers.
Thanks, Diana for bringing Bruno Barbey to my attention, and Bruno for taking these magical mystery photographs, prints of some you you can buy at the Magnum photos site, including this poster from his Portugal series.
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1 Comment
Hello Ellie,
These photos were part of a famous international campaign developed by the French agency TBWA in the 60s and 70s, for the Porto Cruz wine brand, with the slogan “From the country where black is colour”. They’re absolutely fantastic!