Jean-Pierre Laffont: Rebels with a Cause

Late 20th-century American countercultures in review: over 150 images from the lauded French photojournalist's archive

In 1965, French photojournalist Jean-Pierre Laffont (born 1935) immigrated to the United States, camera in tow, and began to document the countercultures catching fire across the nation. Over the course of the following decades, Laffont captured seismic moments of social transformation in American history, earning features in Time, Life and Newsweek, among other publications.
Rebels with a Cause compiles over 150 photographs shot by Laffont from the 1960s to the 1980s. A kaleidoscopic celebration of rebellions, the volume is organized by movement, including the chapters "Black Style: Trailblazing Changes in Fashion"; "Gangs: Arousing City Phenomenon"; "LGBTQ+: The Birth of a Movement" and "Spiritual Groups: Faith in the Streets," and addresses other culturally significant shifts, such as the student-led protests that overtook streets and campuses across America. The volume includes an introduction by Pulitzer Prize finalist Lucy Sante.