Robert Frank: An Image Of Ordinary Citizens

Words: 435
Pages: 2

Robert Frank was born in Switzerland in 1924 and raised in a Jewish household in Zurich. He is famous for his photo essay entitled, “The Americans”, which was a result of a trip he undertook in June 1955. Out of the twenty seven thousand photographs he took, he was able to narrow it down to 83 black and white photographs and compiled all of them in one book. One of the photographs he took was an image of ordinary citizens in New Orleans riding the trolley as a mode of transportation. This image clearly depicts racial degradation caused by racial segregation during the 1950’s. Robert’s image greatly focuses on the distinction between the rights of the ”whites” and the “blacks.” White American passengers were positioned at the front part of