It was 1958 when Swiss photographer Robert Frank published his photobook, The Americans. His style was fresh and his photos blatant in their character. The success and artistic acceptance of his book forever changed the future of photography. However, it had an rather embarrassing effect on a lot of self-respecting Americans of the '50s. Children running about in dirty clothes, threadbare and patched American flags hanging haphazardly, and social segregation seeming altogether too common.

Through the eras of art, especially in the past 200 years, there has been a friction between realism and other styles, such as impressionism or surrealism. Normal Rockwell often gets a bad rap for his realistic painting style that features romanticised content so typical of the early twentieth century. His style of painting seemed no longer socially relevant in the post war era of social change. Similarly to Rockwell, Robert Frank's content is very Americana, but as an outsider, his photographs captured things they way they actually were, without posing models or arranging props. It was the realism Americans were ready for, without any of the smoke and mirrors.

photos via The Art Site UCSC & The Motart