Robert Frank’s photographs of America had many themes, some intentional, others not so much. The main theme I noticed the everyday life of Americans. He took pictures showing working Americans, stressed out Americans, and even happy Americans. In the midst of his trip to America he also captured a them that no one ever wants to discuss, racism. He couldn’t understand the concept of racism in America. The main picture that represents this concept, is the photo of a black woman holding a white baby. Robert Frank couldn’t understand the fact that a white woman could trust her baby with a black woman but refused to have any other contact with her. He was from Switzerland where he never experienced or witnessed skin color racism.
I think that his work was a combination of artistic along with political. It was artistic because this was America in his eyes. A foreigner experiencing this great country for the first time, and you get a sense of excitement and curiosity in all his photos. He felt the need to photograph any and everything that caught his attention. I don’t think that he purposely took the pictures of the segregated bus or restaurants to prove to everyone that America was racist. In my opinion, he just wanted to show the world America as a whole, not just the good parts, but also the bad parts. Also the political rallies and such. So that’s where the political side comes in.
