Bresson made a portrait of Coco Chanel (with a mask), just one example.
1. What is the best value of that (these) photograph?
2. Would you take a picture of your kid made by local photog off the wall and replace it with Bresson's original of Coco C.? Remeber, it is Coco C. which means NOTHING to you.
An image does not need to mean something to everyone, it only needs to mean something to a few. If the viewer makes a connection to an image, then that image will have value.
If by "value" you mean what is it worth in money, then the answer is "whatever someone is willing to pay for it."
In answer to your second question, No, I would not. But that is a very specific example, and not necessarily an indicator that I would *never* replace a photo of my children with a photo of someone else.
For me, to replace a family photograph with a general photograph I'd have to look at it as which moment speaks to me more. Just being a current family snap would lend itself well to replacement (there will likely be many others), whereas a portrait of someone who has passed on and was important to me would not.
This one of HCB's doesn't do anything for me - to me it looks like a rich old lady with a knick-knack in the frame. To the Chanel family, however, it might be a priceless memory. As an aside, although I don't have a print of it yet, HCB's puddle-jumper at the Gare St. Lazare always intrigues me - not quite sure why. That one I would probaby put on my wall eventually
JStraw Hell yes, I'd rather have a Cartier-Bresson on my wall than a family snap.
Jstraw, if you know your friend snapped it, will you change opinion?
If a person visible (in the first plane) on the photo is not a “star” selling is problematic.
Thank you Bjorke to post that photos. That portrait is important to Coco C., yes? It is she and her character and habit,… seen by the someone else (photographer). But who else care for someone else at least that much to pay for it and to hung his photograph on the wall and watch it every day, especially if all of them have no idea who is Bresson-Photog. If I knock on the door of my neighbour he, probably, will call police on me. It is like a general statement in N. America where I live, with some exceptions. So why he would put my portrait on his wall and even to pay for it.
And Coco C. on that portrait do not looks "nice" but scary to many. I am not sure that anyone in the World have it on his wall if he is not involved in photography...
We know the mother and the child with its hand over mom,s mouth as winner in PJ competition for 2006. I saw it once and never more. It finished somewhere in drawer after it is printed in some magazines,… and gone for casual viewer. Does anyone here have that photograph on his wall? I am comfortable to say NO.
A.Adams photographs are with no philosophy, easy to understand, technically “perfect” and found place in so many rooms around the world, as reprints for various reasons.
I would like to explore:
What is today value of PJ photographs in general, value to people not involved in photography but would like to have something nice on the wall. Monetary, because e.g. Bresson snapped it, because just many have it on its walls, because it makes for too many positive emotional experience, because many like it and own it for it has positive educational impact,….
While I like Adams' work in general, there are really only 2 that I would consider very good, worthy of putting up: "Rose and Driftwood" (yes, I know it's a set-up shot, I like it anyway) and "Moonrise, Hernandez".
I would put them up as well as the HCB I mentioned - not sure they have to be mutually exclusive - to me a "good" or "interesting" photograph is just that, regardless of what "style" it's in (PJ, landscape, etc).
It would depend on the overall theme with the other pics I've put up, I think - if it was mostly people, I'd be more inclined to put up other "people" pics vs. landscapes.
Value of PJ photographs. 
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