Jane Fonda married French film director Roger Vadim on January 14, 1965, at the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas. The two had already been a couple for some time before tying the knot, and their marriage placed Fonda at the center of both Hollywood and European cinema circles.
In 1968, the couple welcomed a daughter, Vanessa Vadim, born in Paris. They named her after British actress and activist Vanessa Redgrave, whom Fonda greatly admired. The birth of Vanessa marked a new chapter for the family, who split their time between Paris and the French countryside.
The photographs below were taken in 1969 and capture the family in warm, everyday moments. Many were shot at the family’s rural home near Houdan, about 80 kilometers from Paris, where the couple settled into a quieter pace of country life alongside their young daughter.
Inside their home, Vadim maintained a personal office where he worked on film projects. Fonda, too, had a dedicated workspace — a detail that reflected how seriously both parents pursued their careers even while raising a newborn.
The countryside property gave the family ample outdoor space. Horses, dogs, and even a pony were part of daily life there, and young Vanessa grew up surrounded by animals and open gardens far from the noise of Paris.
The family also spent time in New York, where photos show Fonda carrying Vanessa through Central Park. The contrast between their rural French home and the energy of New York City was a regular part of their lives during this period.
Fonda and Vadim divorced in 1973. Vanessa Vadim, the daughter captured in these candid 1969 images, grew up to become a mother herself and is today a single parent of two children.
