Robert Frank

signed and dated '1955' in ink in the margin, the archive and copyright stamps, with credit, title, date, and annotations in pencil or ink, on the reverse, framed, Bloom Collection and Pace Wildenstein MacGill labels on the reverse, 1955, printed in the 1970s

Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York, 1998

The Americans, no. 71

Sarah Greenough, Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans, pp. 296, 467, and 480, and Contact no. 71

U. S. Camera [Annual] 1958, p. 99  

Robert Frank: Story Lines, frontispiece 5

This print is on double-weight paper with a semi-glossy surface and is in generally excellent condition. The lower left margin corner is bumped and has very minor accompanying emulsion loss. The margin is very faintly sunned at the image periphery. The reverse of the print is clean. The following is written in an unidentified hand in pencil on the reverse: 'RF4,' 'RF.105.X,' 'R.F.42 63C,' 'RF. A. 0I.071,' '11' (circled) and '20' (circled). '635' and '71' are written in pencil in the archive stamp. This photograph has undergone conservation, and a treatment report is available upon request from the department. It is believed that only 4 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.

This beautifully understated photograph was first published in U. S. Camera 1958, before the publication of Les Américains that same year.  While more iconic pictures from The Americans featuring cars, flags, or jukeboxes have been frequently illustrated in a variety of publications, Chattanooga, Tennessee, has rarely appeared outside of the book. It carries its share of the complex structural themes in the sequence of The Americans, but it is uniquely fascinating when viewed on its own. Through the choice of subject and technique – one of the few occasions where Frank used a telephoto lens to blur the background – this photograph shares a kinship with the early street portraits of Diane Arbus.