Robert Frank

signed, titled, and dated '1955' in ink in the margin, numerical notations in pencil on the reverse, framed, a Bloom Collection label on the reverse, 1955, printed in the 1970s

Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York, 1996

The Americans, no. 2

Sarah Greenough, Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans, pp. 212 and 461, and Contact no. 2

Gotthard Schuh, 'Robert Frank,' Camera, August 1957, pp. 349-50

Gilbert Millstein, 'In Each a Self-Portrait,' The New York Times, 17 January 1960, p. 134

Willy Rotzler, ‘Der Photograph Robert Frank,’ Du, January 1962, p. 17

LIFE Library of Photography: Documentary Photography, p. 169

Robert Frank (Aperture), p. 29

Tod Papageorge, Walker Evans and Robert Frank: An Essay on Influence, p. 31

Robert Frank and American Politics (Akron Art Museum), p. 11

Robert Frank, Robert Frank, pl. 33

Susan Kismaric, American Politicians: Photographs from 1843 to 1993, p. 152

Sarah Greenough and Philip Brookman, Robert Frank: Moving Out, p. 176

Cruel and Tender: The Real in the Twentieth Century Photograph (Tate Modern), p. 103

Robert Frank: Story Lines, p. 207

Brian Wallis, 'Robert Frank: American Visions,' Art in America, March 1996, p. 77

This print, on double-weight paper with a semi-glossy surface, is in generally excellent condition. The following is written in an unidentified hand in pencil on the reverse: 'EHG 175,' 'RF. A. 0I.002.6,' '258,' '193' (crossed out), and '9-172.' When viewed under ultraviolet light, this print appears to fluoresce slightly.
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.

The photograph offered here includes more of the original negative than is usually seen in prints of this image, revealing a figure at right who never appears in any of the editions of The Americans.

“Photographers are often surprised at some of the images they find on their films. But is it an accident that Frank snapped just as those politicians in high silk hats were exuding the utmost fatuity that even a small office-seeker can exhibit?  Such strikes are not purely fortuitous. They happen consistently for expert practitioners”   Walker Evans