AMERICA the Beautiful

Parade - Hoboken, NJ

from THE AMERICANS

© Robert Frank, circa 1950

Immigrants. Immigration. Both have weighed heavily on my mind as of late. 

Not that long ago, the Statue of Liberty’s torch, held high in New York Harbor, illuminated a welcome for those seeking a better, more secure life, and yearning to participate in the American experiment of democracy, equality, and opportunity. Today Lady Liberty’s outstretched arm points newcomers back where they came from. 

Ever wonder what the ‘huddled masses’ braving so much to reach our shores think of us now?

Both sides of the aisle in Congress acknowledge our immigration policy is badly broken. Not only does it reflect poorly on us within the family of nations, it is misguided. The engine of our country purrs largely with fuel refined through the energy, talents, and hard work immigrants pour into the country’s tank. But we’re realizing that a shockingly wide swath of our citizenry doesn’t accept the value and necessity of immigration for our nation’s well being. More disturbing perhaps is that they never have. 

This awakening plus that of how we are currently perceived reminds me of one newcomer’s saga, Swiss born photographer Robert Frank. His photo-documentary work is legendary for generations of street photographers striving to emulate his gritty style. Frank arrived on our shores about seventy years ago with camera in hand. His signature work, THE AMERICANS, is an impressive chronicle of what this new American visualized during a 1950s road trip criss-crossing his newly adopted country. Two years, thousands of miles, 800 rolls of film, and 30,000 negatives later, Frank’s road trip made its last stop. It then entered a most arduous editing phase. That effort ultimately yielded only 80 photographs, only 80 - unbelievable!

In the pre-publication maquette, the photos were grouped into four sections of untitled images strategically juxtaposed on opposite pages for added impact. For the finish, Frank’s Bohemian good buddy Jack Kerouac, already known for his literary prowess, wrote an introduction. It is priceless, a must read. How perfect!

Trouble was, the proposed book was panned by critics and shunned by publishers. 

A message within the THE AMERICANS didn’t sit well. Although Frank’s essay found simple beauty in overlooked corners of America, it also cast a harsh light on Uncle Sam, exposing a few of his warts. The mirror he held up to our nation did not reflect only “The Fairest in the Land” image the country expected to see. THE AMERICANS revealed a tarnished ‘from sea to shinning sea’ image of a nation still basking in the afterglow of post-war euphoria. The US was not in the mood to confront the persistent, harsh pre-war realities of segregation, a wide Have and Have-not chasm, political demagoguery, and the darkening clouds of the ensuing Cold War portrayed in Frank’s photos.

THE AMERICANS did eventually get a publisher …… in France! A year later Grove Press published it in the US. Today it remains a gold standard in photojournalism. It redefined what a photo-book could aspire to be.

A few years ago, hailing the importance of Frank’s photo-documentary and recognizing its 1950s prescience, New York’s Museum of Modern Art featured a major retrospective of THE AMERICANS. It is sobering that we are still combating what Robert Frank, as a newcomer to the US, first visualized through his camera - inequality, racism, and disingenuous politicians. The dark side of today’s immigration debate confronts all these demons crystallizing Frank’s  decades old through the lens assessment. 

Unless we use the power of the ballot box to vote for change, the dark side will prevail. It will be déjas vue all over again.

North End - Boston, MA

© David Greenfield 

from his photo-essay ESCAPE ART: the urban fire escape

Visit my web site anytime to view Galleries, Photo-essays, read previous blog-posts, then kindly share on social media. 

Check out ESCAPE ART: the urban fire escape to view the entire Photo-essay.