Portfolio Annie WATERMAN

The Last Wool Mill in France

Annie Oakley Waterman | 2020 SpĂŠos-Magnum Program Photography Portfolio

This is a journey into French wool

The common mood among these people

I visited sheep farmers, shearers

At the end you'll meet Eric Carlier, a

and sorters across France for this

man with a vision who owns what may

story. It's a fragile industry, spanning

be the last wool textile mill in France.

was one of determination, genuine connection to nature, and a search for meaning in their everyday work.

generations, that is struggling with the transition into modernity. There

–Annie Oakley Waterman, 2020

were stories within stories. I met a coastal sheep farmer who'd lost his flock of 600 sheep in a tsunami.

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The last wool mill in France 30 years ago Eric Carlier took over Le Passe Tramme, an abandoned textile mill that has become the last of its kind in France. He is reviving an ancient tradition of weaving as a means to encourage sheep breeding, and he produces wool fabric by the yard. Only half of his mill is in use.

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Inside

The old walls of a former mill, Mazamet, France.

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Annie Oakley Waterman AOWPHOTOGRAPHY.COM INFO@AOWPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

An American based in Paris, Annie works as a freelance photographer and artisan consultant. She lives a life in motion and celebrates the creative spirit at the intersection of art, craft, travel and history. Her work centers around global artisans, spanning Latin America, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

Annie is a graduate from Magnum Photos Masters for Creative Documentary & Photojournalism.