Switzerland 1941–1946
Robert Frank was born in Switzerland on November 9, 1924. He began his photography training in 1941 when he became an apprentice to the photographer and graphic designer Hermann Segesser. From 1942 to 1944 Frank served as an apprentice to, then an employee of, advertising photographer Michael Wolgensinger. Under Wolgensinger, Frank began to group his contact prints thematically and arrange them on boards, as a way to catalog, review, and edit his work. In 1944 he became an assistant to Victor Bouverat in Geneva. During these early years of his career, Frank was also influenced by the important Swiss photographers Gotthard Schuh, Paul Senn, and Jakob Tuggener.