The first group of work prints comprises what appear to be contact prints (that is, the same size as Frank's negatives) made during his early years in Switzerland.
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The Robert Frank Collection
Work Prints (1,335)
The collection includes work prints made during Frank's early years in Europe and from the Guggenheim negatives, 1955–1957.
Three groups of prints have been classified as work prints. The quality of the print does not determine its designation as a work print, although it is clear that Frank did not strive toward perfect tone or contrast in the work prints. Rather, the classification results from Frank's conception and use of the prints.
Self-Portrait, 1945, 1994.37.212
Café table, Paris, 1951, 1990.28.187
The second group of work prints includes prints Frank made in France in 1951, likely in preparation for his Flowers series, as well as a few other prints from Spain, London, and Wales. The work print illustrated here came from the same contact sheet as Place de l'Etoile, 1951–1952, which was ultimately included in Lines of My Hand, 1989. This print has not been exhibited or published.
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Trolley–New Orleans, 1955, 1990.28.316
The final group of work prints Frank made from his Guggenheim negatives, 1955–1957, as he worked toward the grouping and sequencing of The Americans. The three work prints illustrated here are from the same contact sheet. Two of them, Trolley and Canal Street, were published as Americans 18 and 19. The third went unpublished.
Canal Street–New Orleans, 1955, 1990.28.317
Street scene–New Orleans, 1955, 1990.28.424