By Suzanne Révy
Robert Frank’s seminal and most well-known body of work, The Americans, is at times a biting commentary on American culture. Many of Frank’s photographs acknowledge underlying systemic racism and grinding poverty, tacitly indicting reigning political power structures, but at the same time, images of tattered flags among others lend the work a pensive mood. It is therefore enlightening to see his earlier work for a broader understanding of how he developed his eye and demeanor toward his subjects. Robert Frank: Mary’s Book showcases the artist’s pictures made in the late 1940’s in Paris. These were organized into a scrapbook for Mary Lockspeiser, who would later become his first wife. Curated by Kristen Gresh, Estrellita and Yousuf Karsh Curator of Photographs, the scrapbook, along with contemporaneous and later prints are on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston through June 22nd, 2025.

“Robert Frank: Mary’s Book” installation in the Herb Ritts Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. (Photograph by Suzanne Révy)

(Featured Image) Spread from Mary’s Book (detail) by Robert Frank (American, born in Switzerland, 1924–2019)
1949 Illustrated book with 75 gelatin silver prints. Gift of the Howard Greenberg Gallery © The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation, Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Spread from Mary’s Book (detail), by Robert Frank (American, born in Switzerland, 1924–2019)
Illustrated book with 75 gelatin silver prints., 1949, Gift of the Howard Greenberg Gallery, © The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation, Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Robert Frank spent time in Paris in the 1940’s, making pictures of the cobblestoned streets, outdoor flower vendors, and the many chairs that inhabit its parks. He hand-bound a small album that is shown in a vitrine that he crafted for Lockspeiser to share his memories from a time when she remained in New York. It was the first book in which Frank combined pictures with handwritten notes and the progression of pictures, seen more completely with the help of a digital presentation, shows the beginnings of Frank’s eventual mastery of photographic sequencing.

“Paris, Cobblestone Street” by Robert Frank (American, born in Switzerland, 1924–2019) Photograph, gelatin silver print, 1949, © The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation, courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

“Paris , Folding Chair” by Robert Frank (American, born in Switzerland, 1924–2019), Photograph, gelatin silver print, 1949, gift of the June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation © The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation, courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

“Couple with Umbrella, Bird’s Eye View, Paris” by Robert Frank, 1949, from the exhibition Robert Frank: Mary’s Book (Installation photograph by Suzanne Révy)
As early work, these pictures reference a few forebears and influences, appearing to some degree derivative of André Kertesz, particularly his pictures of chairs. One trippy triptych gives the impression of a pair of Parisians lying on their backs on an upended chair that is, in fact, a bird’s eye view, an angle Kertesz used frequently. A more obscure reference came to mind, as well: two films by Jean Vigo, L’Atalante and Zero for Conduct which are filled with melancholic pathos and an empathetic eye for the underdog. Although these early pictures don’t have quite the level of cynicism that courses through The Americans, they do show an affinity and compassion for the human condition.

“Tulip/Paris” by Robert Frank (American born in Switzerland, 1924–2019), from Flowers in Paris series; (American (born in Switzerland) 1924–2019), 1950 Photograph, gelatin silver print, museum purchase with funds donated by John and Cynthia Reed , © The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation, courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

“Man with hydrangeas leaning into a car” by Robert Frank, 1949-51, from the exhibition Robert Frank: Mary’s Book, (Installation photograph by Suzanne Révy)
For the darkroom mavens among us, the exhibition includes prints made at the time the pictures were taken, but also prints made in the 1960’s. Many of them include cropping marks or notes to publishers giving the impression that we are seeing work prints. As Frank’s technique improved, the prints boast greater contrast and tonal range than the soft greys of his earlier prints. Nonetheless, the emotional resonance between the earlier prints and later ones is beguiling. The long mid-tonal range and soft greys of Frank’s Parisian chairs offer a somber yet wistful ambiance while his higher contrast later prints possess emotional tension and convey a weary sense of sadness.

“Woman lying in the grass next to a bouquet of flowers” by Robert Frank, 1949, from the exhibition Robert Frank: Mary’s Book, (Installation photograph by Suzanne Révy)
An online lecture with the curator is planned for March 5th, 2025 from 6:30 to 7:30pm. For more information and to register: https://www.mfa.org/event/lecture/robert-frank-marys-book?event=128936
For more information about the exhibit and accompanying publication, go to: https://www.mfa.org/exhibition/robert-frank-marys-book