Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2012/02/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Marty Deveney wrote: I've spoken to a few people who saw that show and many people about the book - it is amazing how many Americans say things about it like "I was there, it wasn't that bad" - as though by its title or subject matter the photos should have been evenly representative, rather than what Frank saw and wanted to convey. =================================================== Marty, did you mean "I was there (at the show in DC)" or "I was there (in the 50s)?" I'm assuming the latter, and if so, a lot of us here were "there" too. I lived in New Orleans when Frank was working there and remember his photo of the segregated streetcar, with black and white faces peering out of the front and rear section windows. It definitely reflected the reality of that era, and whether it "wasn't that bad" is a matter of perspective. It wasn't bad for me at all, as a middle class white teenager, but it looks pretty shocking today. As an outsider I think Frank was seeing an America that some of us didn't want to see at the time. Interestingly, the iconic photo show of that era was the MoMA's "Family of Man," an epic affirmation of human community that didn't ask many questions. As an aside, I actually photographed one of Frank's subjects from The Americans, without realizing it until much later. I was a student in Baton Rouge in '59 and had just bought my first "real" camera, a Rolleicord. I took it down to the riverfront area, where an itinerant preacher dressed in a white robe and carrying a cross was known to hang out. He was there and posed for me on one of the first rolls of film I ever put through the camera. I had no idea about The Americans at the time -- I just thought he was a colorful guy -- and I definitely wasn't trying to make a social statement. Alas, I haven't been able to locate the old negative but I remember it distinctly. Folks interested in Frank's influence might enjoy Philip Gefter's "Photography After Frank," (Aperture: 2009). -- Phil Swango 307 Aliso Dr SE Albuquerque, NM 87108 505-262-4085