HFM acquires Keystone

Hafimage

, a subsidiary of the group Hachette Filipacchi Médias working in the field of photo agencies, has just bought Keystone, a photo agency renowned for the quality and wealth of its archives. In this operation Hafimage will take over 100% of Keystone’s archives, i.e. 8 million photographs covering world events, news, personalities and lifestyles ₍₁₎ , and sign a contract for the use of the archives of the magazine Illustration, i.e. 7 million photographs ₍₂₎.

This acquisition forms part of the strategy for developing photography activities initiated in September 1999 with the purchase of Gamma, and expanded with the acquisition of various photo agencies : MPA, Jacana and Hoa-Qui in the summer, followed by Katz last September.

“Keystone and Illustration photo archives perfectly round off our existing archives, in particular those of Paris Match; they enable us to cover some 150 years of events” says Anne-Marie Couderc, Deputy CEO of HFM and Chairperson of Hafimage. Indeed, the acquired archives’ 15 million pictures stretch from 1843 to 1980, while the Paris Match archives start in 1949 and are still being added to today from current events.

_{(1) for the period 1920 to 1980.
(2) for the period 1843 to 1955.}