When on the afternoon of November 19, 1975, Colita (Barcelona, 1940-2023) received a phone call announcing that Franco was dying, she was already one of the most brilliant photographers of her generation. The next call was his. He composed the Carmen Rico-Godoy issue of the weekly Change 16the great political magazine of the Transition. “I want to go to Madrid to work on the streets,” the photojournalist told him. Rico-Godoy immediately said yes because Colita was not known in Madrid and therefore could work in complete freedom. Before going to the airport, she had the ingenuity to sew a piece of ribbon with the Spanish flag on her trench coat “just like Ingrid Bergman’s in Casablanca”.
What he saw in Madrid is what this photo gallery shows, a selection of images taken from his book Franco is dead (Ojos de Buey, 2023). “I found the pulse of the street and the feelings of the people. It was a mix between a party and a funeral: people crying and emotional people shouting “Franco, Franco”, many policemen, soldiers, nuns, priests, bishops, politicians…”. There were three historical moments he portrayed: the queues to visit Franco’s burning chapel in the Palacio de Oriente, the wait for November 22nd when Juan Carlos was proclaimed king and the dictator’s funeral on the 23rd in Plaza de Oriente.
A woman holds a carnation on November 23, 1975 during Franco’s funeral. Colita photo archiveNight queues at the Puerta del Sol to contemplate Franco’s burning chapel, open from November 21st at 8am.Colita photo archiveMilitary parade in front of Franco’s coffin and under the gaze of the kings of Spain, the dictator’s family and national and international authorities.Colita photo archiveMembers of the National Police hold back the crowd greeting Franco on 23 November 1975, the day of the funeral celebrated at the gates of the Palacio de Oriente.Colita photo archiveSpanish flags at the Palacio de Oriente on 23 November 1975 during the funeral of Francisco Franco.Colita photo archiveNewsstand at the Puerta del Sol in Madrid in the days following Franco’s death.Colita photo archiveGroup of participants at Franco’s funeral in Plaza de Oriente.Colita photo archiveThe Royal Family and political authorities in front of the Congress of Deputies on the day of the proclamation of Juan Carlos I.Colita photo archiveGroup of Carlist militants in front of the Palace of Congresses on 22 November 1975, the day of the proclamation of Juan Carlos I.Colita photo archiveA woman holds a copy of the newspaper “Ya” from November 22, 1975 in front of the Palacio de las Cortes.Colita photo archiveIn the window of a fur shop in Madrid, a mannequin and a Spanish flag with black crepe.Colita photo archiveKiosk in Puerta del Sol in the days following Franco’s death.Colita photo archive
