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| Frank, Robert, Parade, Hoboken, New Jersey, 1955 |
Happy (almost) 4th of July to all of you! In the spirit of yesterday's holiday, I'd like to blog about a photographer who published a book of images titled The Americans in 1958: Robert Frank! Born in Zürich, Switzerland
in 1924, Frank emigrated to the United States in 1947 and became a
fashion photographer for a magazine titled Harper's Bazaar in New York City. Shortly after landing the freelance gig with the magazine, Frank
traveled throughout South America and Europe. He returned to the
States in 1950, the same year that he participated in a group show
titled 51 American Photographers, which was held at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). 1950 was a big year for Frank, he also married fellow artist, Mary Frank.
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| Frank, Robert, City Fathers (Hoboken), 1955. |
Although content with his lifestyle in the United States, Frank thought that society moved a little too quickly and had become obsessed with money. His opinion of the culture within the USA shifted and he began to view the country as a solitary place. Frank applied for a grant from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and with the help of Walker Evans, he was awarded said grant. In 1955, Frank set out to travel across the US to take photographs in many towns including: Detroit, Savannah, Miami Beach, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Reno, Chicago - to name a few... Frank's goal was to capture the sentiments he felt about the fast paced lifestyle he felt was prevalent amongst the country. This particular "road trip" lasted two years and had shot roughly 28,000 negatives during this time frame.
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Below are a few of my favorite images that were published within the book:
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| Frank, Robert, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1955. |
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| Frank, Robert, Charleston, South Carolina, 1955. |
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| Frank, Robert, Elevator - Miami Beach, 1955.
There's a fantastic article written by Tom Cole about The Americans, which was published on National Public Radio (NPR). Click here to read Cole's article titled "Americans: The Book that Changed Photography".
In order to listen to the audio story that goes along with Cole's article, click here. Within the audio story, you'll hear Frank talk about how the Museum of Modern Art wouldn't even sell the book when it was first published; often this book was described as a "sad poem".
Works Cited:
01. Cole, Tom. "'Americans': The Book That Changed Photography." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 27 June 2013.
02. "WALKER EVANS & ROBERT FRANK:." AMERICAN SUBURB X Walker Evans and Robert Frank An Essay on Influence by Tod Papageorge1981 Comments. N.p., 30 July 2010. Web. 02 July 2015.
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