In his novel Wilhelm Meister's Years of Apprenticeship, Goethe spoke of adolescence as the years of apprenticeship. It is to this brief, yet essential chapter of life that the Quai de la Photo dedicates its new exhibition from October 15 through December 20, 2026. These photographs, gathered by filmmaker Lee Shulman, make up The Anonymous Project: all come from a box of slides discovered by chance and, pieced together, illustrate the memory of these past 70 years. An immersion that is both geographical, notably across the United States, and temporal, inviting us to trace back through history and allowing us to nostalgically rekindle the flame of memories from our own youth.
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Diving back into your younger years
The immersion begins as soon as you step onto the barge, located in the 13th arrondissement. On the high tables, on the glass walls that sway gently to the rhythm of the Seine's movements, or even displayed in large format in the middle of the boat, the images of this vibrant youth unfold. We're plunged into the 1950s, the decade when the term "teenager" emerged in the United States, finally naming this period of transition between childhood and adulthood.
In the photographs, smiling young people, on the beach, in festive atmospheres bear witness to a peaceful post-war period. Gone are the days when you worked from a young age: from now on, you allow yourself free time, hobbies, leisure activities. Teenagers stand out to become a generation at a
e; entire part, with its singularities, its codes, its tastes, its aspirations. Far from being a given, the adolescence we know today has been built over time, through social and cultural changes.
©The Anonymous Project
Prom night as the last dance of childhood
Among the essential milestones of this adolescence journey, certain rituals have endured through the decades. In the United States, prom night is one of its greatest symbols. Taking root in the debutante balls of the nineteenth century where young women were presented to society, this unmissable evening marks a sort of passage into this new stage that is entering adulthood.
©The Anonymous Project
In a festive scenography that echoes the codes of real prom balls, the exhibition closes by unveiling a series of photographs that are sometimes serious — teenagers posing in elegant outfits, corsage on their wrist, in front of the house, as tradition dictates — and sometimes lighthearted: for one evening, carefree joy is invited to the party, and dreams fill their heads. What about tomorrow? It doesn't exist yet. The deep end of independence and adult life can wait a few more hours.
Teenage Dream
Quai de la Photo
9, port de la Gare — Paris 13
Until December 20, 2026
Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm to 2am
Free admission
More info