Robert Frank was a Swiss-born American photographer known for his book "The Americans" which featured candid photos he took while traveling across the United States in the 1950s. The book was initially met with criticism in the US but went on to influence generations of photographers and shape how America saw itself. Frank believed photography could not be indifferent and aimed to capture the mood and realities of American life through his lens.

1. Robert Frank
“You do your work as a photographer and everything becomes past. Words
are more like thoughts; the photographer's picture is always surrounded by a
kind of romantic glamor - no matter what you do, and how you twist it.”
-Robert Frank
Presentation by:
Quintin Grolla

2. Who is Robert Frank?
• Born in Switzerland on November 9, 1924
• He turned to photography for as a way to escape the pressures of his
business-oriented family
• Living in Europe during the Second World War-while although safe in
Switzerland, it had impacted Frank and affected his understanding of
oppression which is later seen in his work.

3. His Immigration
• Frank immigrated to the
United States in 1947, and
secured a job in New York
City as a fashion
photographer for Harper's
Bazaar.
• He soon left to travel in
South America and Europe.
• He published two more
books of photos he took in
Peru, and returned to the
U.S. in 1950.
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4. What his views of America
was
• Though he was initially
optimistic about the
United States, Frank's
perspective quickly
changed as he confronted
the fast pace of American
life and what he saw as an
overemphasis on money.
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5. In plain sight
• He then saw America as
an often bleak and
lonely place, a
perspective that became
evident in his later
photography.
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6. Robert Frank portraits

7. The turning point in his
career
• In 1958, Robert Frank’s turning point
had been made through his album
called “The Americans”

8. “The Americans”
• In 1958, Robert Frank published the famous “The Americans”
• This publication is known to be the turning point of photography
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9. “The Americans” Cont.
• However, It was initially published in Paris, and the book faced
significant criticism upon it's U.S. publication.
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10. “Black and white are the colors of
photography. To me they symbolize
the alternatives of hope and despair
to which mankind is forever
subjected.”
-Robert Frank
• (Above) This Photo is a very
interesting photo because it
shows the back of a bus and
how everyone was separated
• (Right) I feel this photo is
interesting because people
had entrusted others to take
care of their children and had
been paid very little

11. Who Inspired this great artist?
• Robert Frank had been inspired by one of
the most influential photographer of the
twentieth century.
• The photographer was Walker Evans.

12. Some of Walker Evans work
•

13. The influence he had
• The photographer Robert Frank was a
friend, collaborator, and influence on
John Cohen.
• His book “The Americans” had a great
influence on many people in the last
half of the twentieth century

14. How he changed the art form
• Through his book, “The Americans” he
changed the way America looked at
itself and how photography is
composed today.
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15. (left) This photo is emotionally
moving because of the way the
(right) This photo really
image is composed. there are expresses the work
three figures which shows the
rule of odds and the way the
conditions people were
mood of the girl is living through.
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16. • “I have been frequently accused of deliberately twisting subject matter to
my point of view. Above all, I know that life for a photographer cannot be a
matter of indifference. Opinion often consists of a kind of criticism. But
criticism can come out of love.”
-Robert Frank
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17. (left) This photo is
interesting because there
are the two kids hanging
upside down, with an
interesting background
with the rhinos
(right) This photo is well
composed because of the
vehicle’s door is framing
the loader, and there is
also a rule of thirds
where the loader is
located
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18. Works Cited
• Sante, L. Seeing beauty in our shadows Robert
Frank's 'The Americans,' unpopular when first
published, has shaped the way America looks at
itself. Wall Street Journal. 2013. Online. March
18, 2013
• NPR. 'Americans': The Book That Changed
Photography. NPR, February 13, 2009. Online.
March 18th, 2013.
• Book rags Media Network. Robert Frank Quotes.
Brainy Quote. 2013. Online. March 15th, 2013
• "Robert Frank." The Biography Channel website.
1996. Online. March 19 2013.
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19. Works Cited cont.
• NY Times Co. Boston.com. Boston.com. 2013.
online. March 18th, 2013.
• Robert Frank-Fine Art. AtgetPhotography.com.
Robert Frank-Fine Art. Online. March 18th,
2013.
• The Slevedge Yard.
theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com.
wordpress.com. August 6, 2009. Online. March
18th, 2013.

20. Work Cited cont.
• Vanart Gallery. Projects.vanartgallery.bc.ca. Vanart Gallery. January
12, 2006. Online. March 19, 2013/
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