Liberation Day in Paris: Churchill and De Gaulle March in Triumph on Champs-Élysées, France , 1944

This powerful and exceptionally rare Type 1 silver gelatin photograph captures a defining moment of Allied victory: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill—hat raised in salute—marching beside French leader General Charles de Gaulle and Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden down the Champs-Élysées. Taken on November 11, 1944, just over two months after the Liberation of Paris, the image commemorates both the end of Nazi occupation and the enduring Allied partnership.

While formally aligned with Armistice Day, Churchill’s presence in Paris was widely recognized as a symbolic tribute to France’s return to freedom and the Allied triumph over tyranny. The crowds that line the avenue—waving flags and cheering—reflect the overwhelming joy and relief of a nation reclaiming its soul.

This iconic image was taken by Major William George Horton of the No. 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit. 

Original Type 1 photograph, printed from the original negative near the time of the event.

An exceptional document of Allied unity—Churchill, De Gaulle, and Eden together at the symbolic heart of a liberated Paris.

Outstanding archival condition with a rich tonal range, sharp detail, and a clean verso with typed caption.

This exact frame is markedly rarer than widely circulated IWM (Imperial War Museum) or Getty variants of the day.

For collectors of WWII, political history, or fine historical photography, this image offers a singular, museum-quality acquisition.