Robert Frank

signed, titled, and dated '1955' in ink on the image, the copyright stamp, with credit in ink, and title, 'Americans 50,' 'Archive 1043,' and numerical notations in pencil on the reverse, framed, Bloom Collection and Pace Wildenstein MacGill labels on the reverse, 1955, printed in the 1950s or early 1960s

Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York, 1998

The Americans, no. 50

Sarah Greenough, Looking In: Robert Frank's The Americans, pp. 270 and 474, and Contact no. 50

Robert Frank: Story Lines, frontispiece 6

Michael Shelden, 'Melancholy and Menace,' Telegraph Magazine, 3 May 2008, p. 36

This faintly warm-toned early print, on double-weight paper with a semi-glossy surface, is in generally excellent condition. The black negative edges are partially visible along the upper, right, and lower edges of the image. In high raking light, the following are barely visible: a small, very soft crease near the left edge of the image; and a small hairline scratch that does not appear to break the emulsion near the upper edge of the image. The photograph is printed somewhat asymmetrically on the sheet of photographic paper, with thin left and right margins. The upper left margin corner is sharply creased, and the tips of the margin corners are bumped. The reverse of the print is age-darkened and faintly soiled, primarily at the edges. The following is written in an unidentified hand in pencil on the reverse: 'Assembly Line - Detroit'; 'Americans 50'; 'Archive 1043'; '150'; '5-220 [crossed out] 237'; 'RF.0I.501' (in duplicate); and 'DH611.38.' When examined under ultraviolet light, this print does not appear to fluoresce. It is believed that only 6 other prints of this image have previously been offered at auction.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Frank's 1955 trip to Detroit was one of his first and most important short photographic trips before the legendary trans-continental journey that resulted in The Americans. Of the 83 pictures in the book, nine were made in Detroit, including the present image of the assembly line at the River Rouge plant.  In a rare, but not unique, substitution Frank replaced this image with a more sharply focused variant in the 1978 edition, and all subsequent editions, of The Americans.  But the image offered here, included in the first edition through the 1968-69 editions, more completely encapsulates the signature Frank style that helped establish his reputation and influenced generations of photographers.

In July of 1955, Frank photographed at Ford’s River Rouge plant, the largest self-contained automotive manufacturing complex in the world, where raw materials were transformed into one car per minute.  It was the peak year of production at the Rouge.  He wrote to his wife, Mary, 'Ford is an absolutely fantastic place. Every factory is really the same but this one is God's factory and if there is such a thing – I am sure that the devil gave him a helping hand to build up what is called Ford's River Rouge Plant.  But all the cars come out at one end. . . At the other end, the beginning of the Plant, ships bring Iron-ore and from then on the whole car is built' (Tucker and Brookman, eds., Robert Frank: New York to Nova Scotia, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1986, p. 22).