Though he was born in Switzerland, photographer Robert Frank’s greatest legacy was his representation of places and figures across the United States, the bulk of which was published in a seminal book titled The Americans.
Frank emigrated to America in 1948, settling in New York City, where he was hired as a fashion photographer for Harper’s Bazaar by the magazine’s legendary art director Alexey Brodovitch, who also recruited Lisette Model, Richard Avedon and mid-century-era style-setting couple Leslie Gill and Frances McLaughlin-Gill. Frank’s artistic style — and use of a 35mm Leica, an unconventional choice in the fashion world — proved not to be a fit, however, and he left the job after a few months. He went on to produce street photography around the city while working freelance jobs for the likes of Vogue, Life and other publications.
But it was leaving New York that would produce Frank’s most notable work. Throughout the 1950s, with the support of a Guggenheim Fellowship and guidance from Walker Evans, he embarked on a series of cross-country road trips, traversing nearly every state in the continental U.S. and producing a wealth of arresting photographs of its inhabitants. The black-and-white images pioneered what became known as a “snapshot aesthetic,” capturing a spontaneous moment. Subjects are often out of focus and rarely looking toward the camera, and rippled fabric or bent grasses often suggest movement and breeze.
After an initial publication in France, where the photographs appear alongside essays, The Americans was released in the U.S. in 1959 with a foreword by author Jack Kerouac, who espoused Frank’s ability to capture a uniquely American spirit.
“That crazy feeling in America,” Kerouac wrote, “when the sun is hot and music comes out of the jukebox or from a nearby funeral, that’s what Robert Frank has captured in tremendous photographs taken as he traveled on the road around practically forty-eight states in an old used car.”
Following the release of The Americans, Frank turned much of his attention to film. He would go on to produce a film version of Kerouac’s The Beat Generation and cofounded the New American Cinema Group in 1960. He died in 2019.
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$25,000
Hollywood
By Robert Frank
Located in New York, NY
It's hard to imagine an approach to photography that contrasted more with Robert Frank’s freewheeling style than Hollywood’s glamour shots of film stars in the 1950s. The stills depa...
Silver Gelatin
Pulqueria, Mexico, 1926
By Edward Weston
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Museo De Arte Moderno, Mexico Bosque De Chapultepec, Exposicion Inaugural El Dia 20 De Septiembre De 1964’ stamp on verso with artist, title, collection, EW birth/death date, number,...
Silver Gelatin
$587
H 7.05 in W 5.01 in D 0.02 in
Woman, Street Photography, Black and White, Italy, 1950s, 17.9 x 12.7 cm
By Erich Andres
Located in Cologne, DE
Silver Gelatine Print by Erich Andres, ca 1950. Andres was born 1905 in Germany and passed away 1992. He started his career as a photographer in 1920. He was one of the first photogr...
Silver Gelatin, Black and White
$764
H 11.74 in W 7.92 in D 0.02 in
Jackie Onassis, new girl in town; Black and White; Paris, 1970s, 29, 8 x 20, 1 cm
Located in Cologne, DE
Jacqueline Lee "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis (July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, and photographer who became First Lady of the United States as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. Her popularity as First Lady was due to her devotion to historical preservation of the White House, her fashion sense, and her devotion to her children, which endeared her to the American public. During her lifetime, Jackie was regarded as an international fashion icon. Her ensemble of a pink Chanel suit and matching pillbox hat that she wore in Dallas, Texas, when the president was assassinated on November 22, 1963, has become a symbol of her husband's death. (wikipedia) Description: Jacky Onassis, new...
Silver Gelatin, Black and White
$1,410
H 8.15 in W 10.01 in D 0.02 in
The Beatles, Office, Black and White Photography, 20, 7 x 25, 4 cm
Located in Cologne, DE
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are regarded as the mo...
Silver Gelatin
$1,410
H 8.15 in W 10.01 in D 0.02 in
The Beatles, Office, Black and White Photography, 20, 7 x 25, 4 cm
Located in Cologne, DE
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are regarded as the mo...
Silver Gelatin
Exposition of Dynamic Symmetry
By Edward Weston
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Code and information in unknown hand (possibly Dody Weston) on back of print. Authenticated by the Cole Weston trust on back of print. Unmounted. Early print.
Silver Gelatin
$528
H 6.46 in W 8.47 in D 0.02 in
Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jean) as little child, ca. 1927, 16, 4 x 21, 5 cm
Located in Cologne, DE
Norma Jeane Mortenson or better known as Marilyn Monroe – iconic, beautiful and maybe the most known Hollywood Stars of the 20th century. Born and raised in Los Angeles, USA, she spe...
Silver Gelatin, Black and White
Portrait of Neil Weston, 1933
By Edward Weston
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Initialed and dated mount recto.
Silver Gelatin
$1,410
H 7.13 in W 8.98 in D 0.01 in
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Black and White Photography, 1970s, 18, 1 x 22, 8 cm
Located in Cologne, DE
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are regarded as the mo...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$1,411
H 10.01 in W 8.15 in D 0.02 in
The Beatles, Office, Black and White Photography, 25, 4 x 20, 7 cm
Located in Cologne, DE
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are regarded as the mo...
Silver Gelatin
Tina, Glendale, 1922
By Edward Weston
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Titled with artist's reference number on back of mount. Stamped, 'Edward Weston printed by' and signed by Cole Weston on back of mount. Printed later by Cole Weston from the original...
Silver Gelatin
Neil, 1925
By Edward Weston
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Titled with artist's reference number on back of mount. Stamped, 'Edward Weston printed by' and signed by Cole Weston on back of mount. Negative Code 25PO. Printed later by Cole West...
Silver Gelatin
Untitled, Amusement Park
By Robert Frank
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed on the back of the print, lower right. Exhibited Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, 1985.
Silver Gelatin
Motorama, Los Angeles
By Robert Frank
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed on the front of the print, lower right in black ink. Exhibited Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, 1985.
Silver Gelatin
Photo Booth
By Robert Frank
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed on the front of the print, lower right in black ink. Exhibited Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, 1985.
Silver Gelatin