  The T\'elescope \`a Action Rapide pour les Objets Transitoires (TAROT-1) has
as prime objective the observation of the prompt and delayed emission of cosmic
gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We have performed a search for optical emission from 6
GRBs detected by BATSE. The positioning error circle was fully covered within
typically thirty minutes after the trigger. No detection of the early afterglow
phase was made, and magnitude limits in the range of $ \mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{R}}
= 13-15 $ were estimated using 20s exposures. These limits are compared to
optical afterglow data obtained in later phases and the results are interpreted
in terms of source distances. They correspond to a median redshift of z = 0.5.
With HETE-2 and the planned instrument upgrade, TAROT-1 will be able to detect
the early optical emission of GRBs up to a redshift of the order of 5.
