Robert Frank - The Americans

Robert Frank’s ‘The Americans’ has been hailed as the most important photography book since World War II. Frank took the images for this book while travelling around America with his family from 1954 until 1956. His images look deeper into American life, looking at the segregation and loneliness of the American people during that time. His images often confront subjects such as racism and politics. The style of his images caused as much controversy as the subject matters as they were often blurry and out-of-focus.
In the image below the composition is everything and gives the image a real story and meaning. The use of semiotics in this image comes across through the sign and idea of culture of the American flag covering the women’s faces. When I first saw this image it felt to me as though Frank was trying to show us how America overpowers and dictates to its people. The politics of America and the fact that it believes it holds so much power means that the American people themselves are being overlooked. The symbolism of the flag covering their faces shows that America has taken over their own identity, and that they are seen as part of America and not as individuals. The image is all about identity and how we perceive theirs.

The next image below also confronts the idea of America controlling its people. I believe that the two young girls running into the American flag is a strong factor in the image as it shows how America wants to control the minds of its people from birth.
This book was disliked by a lot of American citizens when it was first published and this alone shows that they were not happy with the rest of the world seeing what America is really like.

I really like Robert Frank's images, especially all the photos in this book. I love the way they are shot, the composition, and the controversial thing he chooses as his subjects.