Françoise Bornet, who appeared in Robert Doisneau’s photograph Le Baiser (The kiss), put the picture for auction.

According to Françoise Bornet, Robert Doisneau sent her the picture a few days after taking it as an assignment for Life magazine. The picture became a symbol of Paris romance in 1986 when it came out as a poster.

Now Françoise Bornet put her original print up for auction, more than 50 years after the shot was taken.

Françoise Bornet explains her decision, "I now think of it as a picture that should never really have existed. That's why I'm getting rid of it. The photo was posed. But the kiss was real."

Robert Doisneau first spotted Bornet and her boyfriend Jacques Carteaud at a cafe in Paris near the school where the couple were studying theatre.

At first it was thought that the picture was unposed. Later it was revealed that Robert Doisneau saw the couple kissing in a café and he asked them to pose kissing. 

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