Robert Frank (1924)

Robert Frank was a photographer born in Switzerland in 1924. He is noted as a revolutionary figure in American photography, in particular for his book 'The Americans'. He began photographing as a way of escaping from the oppression of the war and his business orientated family.


Race and class are a common theme in his photography, this was largely because of the social divide between different races in America at the time; a time when blacks and whites lived in separate areas and couldn't even sit beside one another on public transport. 
Frank himself sympathised towards the segregated races, as can be seen in many of his photos. This is why his photography was so revolutionary; he was living ahead of most others. He could see that segregation of races was wrong and exploited this through his pictures.





Robert Frank - Indianapolis ('The Americans', 1955-1956)

This picture of a black couple ridding a traditional American Harley-Davidson would have been something few Europeans would have seen, and a rarity for most Americans themselves. The mixture of cultures in America at this time would have been a fascinating sight to many outside the country.
The components of this picture can all be seen as symbols of America - A large bike, jeans, leather jacket and people of colour. This intriguing culture developed from a mixture of cultures is captured perfectly in a single black and white shot.
The composition of the shot looks very well thought out. The way the couple are sat - both looking down and in a posture similar to that seen in a classical portrait painting. This posture seems to make the couple appear powerful or 'well-off'.
There's a sense of continuity throughout the couple that emphasises a unity between them - The angle of the mans arm is parallel to the woman's leg, their faces share the same expression, the hats they are wearing create similar lines across the forehead and the studs of the mans jacket match the studs on the Harley.

I particularly like the controversy of this photograph - typically at the time black people would have been seen as poor and lower class, but in this photo they seem to be living the 'American dream', ridding a big expensive Harley and wearing fashionable clothing. Much of Robert Franks photography is targeted at the different strata's within American society.

Robert Frank - Trolley, New Orleans. 1955.


This photograph depicts the separation of races in America at the time (1955). It is a picture of black and white Americans travelling on a trolley cart in New Orleans. At this time blacks and whites were kept separate on public transport - whites sitting to the front of the bus and blacks at the back with a white line inside the bus acting as a border not to be crossed. Frank captured this separation of races by framing the centre of the bus where the separating line would have been. 
As well as objectively capturing this segregation, Frank manages to capture the expressions on peoples faces revealing their attitudes towards this way of life; the white woman appears almost arrogant , looking at the camera but with her back turned. She, as well as the young children, is also well dressed looking very smart and 'upper class'. In comparison the black man and woman are seen with their bodies turned towards the camera which helps to create a feeling of empathy for them; they communicate with the viewer more so than say the elderly white woman. The black gentleman's expression appears to be one of desperation, maybe suggesting the struggle blacks were going through at the time. This makes the viewer feel further empathy for him/the black race. 


The photo is shot very formally; symmetrical with parallel lines. This makes the picture very easy to read with no obstruction or distraction to suggest any other implications.