ROBERT FRANK R.I.P.

Robert Frank, one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century has died at the age of 94.

His photographic book The Americans is considered a landmark document of the USA in the 20th century. Originally printed in Paris in 1958, it is now revered for its expressively ambiguous photographs, which still provoke differing interpretations.

This is the book that sparked a thousand more, though none matched its influence. I cherish my first edition for its amazing reproduction qualities.

Jack Kerouac, the famed Beat Generation poet and novelist, wrote the introduction to the first American edition, which came out in 1959. Kerouac said, “Robert Frank… he sucked a sad poem right out of America onto film, taking rank among the tragic poets of the world.”