As of Sep 08, 2025

Robert Frank

Lot 73095
City Fathers, Hoboken, New Jersey (from The Americans), 1955
Gelatin silver print

8,5 x 11,5 in (21.6 x 29.2 cm)
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Lot 73095
City Fathers, Hoboken, New Jersey (from The Americans), 1955
Gelatin silver print
8,5 x 11,5 in (21.6 x 29.2 cm)
Estimate: US$ 30,000 - 50,000
€ 26,000 - 43,000
Auction: 23 days

Heritage Auctions

City: Dallas, TX
Auction: Oct 03, 2025
Auction number: 8220
Auction name: Photographs Signature® Auction
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Lot Details
Robert Frank (American, 1924-2019) City Fathers, Hoboken, New Jersey (from The Americans), 1955-1957 Gelatin silver print, printed circa 1962 8-1/2 x 11-1/2 inches (21.6 x 29.2 cm) (image) 11 x 12-7/8 inches (sheet) Signed in ink, lower margin recto. Titled, dated, and inscribed in pencil by Grace Mayer, and with Museum of Modern Art stamp, verso. PROVENANCE: Pace/MacGill Gallery, 2004; Private collection, San Francisco. EXHIBITED: Turning the Page, Pier 24 Photography, San Francisco, CA, April 15, 2024 – January 31, 2025 LITERATURE: R. Frank, The Americans, Steidl, Göttingen, 2008, n.p. Grace Mayer was the Curator of Photography (1962-1968) at the Museum of Modern Art. She was the curator for the 1962 exhibition Harry Callahan and Robert Frank. It is most likely that this photograph was printed at that time and signed later by Frank. Robert Frank's City Fathers, Hoboken, New Jersey (1955–1956) is a defining image from The Americans, the landmark series that reshaped documentary photography. Depicting Hoboken officials in rigid formality, the photograph offers a quiet yet pointed critique of civic authority and the performance of power in postwar America. This print, made circa 1962, is an important early example. It is signed by Frank and inscribed by Grace Mayer, then Curator of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), with MoMA's stamp on the verso. These details strongly suggest it was produced for MoMA's 1962 Harry Callahan and Robert Frank exhibition, curated by Mayer. Its association with that exhibition highlights both the photograph's early institutional recognition and the profound influence of The Americans on the history of photography. Most recently, the print was included in Turning the Page at Pier 24 Photography in San Francisco (2024–2025), the final exhibition at the renowned institution before its closure. HID12401132022 © 2025 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice
Turning the Page, Pier 24 Photography, San Francisco, CA, April 15, 2024 – January 31, 2025
Pace/MacGill Gallery, 2004; Private collection, San Francisco.
Overall good condition. A few small areas of retouching to the hat and coat of the right most figure visible upon UV inspection. Slight silver mirroring to the figure's cloaks visible in raking light. A minor accretion located near the 3rd left most figure also visible under closer UV inspection. An approximate 4 inch hard crease in bottom left corner extends from the margin into the image. Other scattered creases and undulations are localized to the margins, not visible through window mat. Tape remnants on the sheet's lower margin recto, also not visible through window mat. Sheet curls slightly upward at the top and bottom edges. Most condition issues listed in this report are not visible through window mat and frame. Cornered to a window mat and framed under glass measuring 16-1/2 x 18-1/2 inches.
Lot Details
Robert Frank (American, 1924-2019) City Fathers, Hoboken, New Jersey (from The Americans), 1955-1957 Gelatin silver print, printed circa 1962 8-1/2 x 11-1/2 inches (21.6 x 29.2 cm) (image) 11 x 12-7/8 inches (sheet) Signed in ink, lower margin recto. Titled, dated, and inscribed in pencil by Grace Mayer, and with Museum of Modern Art stamp, verso. PROVENANCE: Pace/MacGill Gallery, 2004; Private collection, San Francisco. EXHIBITED: Turning the Page, Pier 24 Photography, San Francisco, CA, April 15, 2024 – January 31, 2025 LITERATURE: R. Frank, The Americans, Steidl, Göttingen, 2008, n.p. Grace Mayer was the Curator of Photography (1962-1968) at the Museum of Modern Art. She was the curator for the 1962 exhibition Harry Callahan and Robert Frank. It is most likely that this photograph was printed at that time and signed later by Frank. Robert Frank's City Fathers, Hoboken, New Jersey (1955–1956) is a defining image from The Americans, the landmark series that reshaped documentary photography. Depicting Hoboken officials in rigid formality, the photograph offers a quiet yet pointed critique of civic authority and the performance of power in postwar America. This print, made circa 1962, is an important early example. It is signed by Frank and inscribed by Grace Mayer, then Curator of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), with MoMA's stamp on the verso. These details strongly suggest it was produced for MoMA's 1962 Harry Callahan and Robert Frank exhibition, curated by Mayer. Its association with that exhibition highlights both the photograph's early institutional recognition and the profound influence of The Americans on the history of photography. Most recently, the print was included in Turning the Page at Pier 24 Photography in San Francisco (2024–2025), the final exhibition at the renowned institution before its closure. HID12401132022 © 2025 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice
Turning the Page, Pier 24 Photography, San Francisco, CA, April 15, 2024 – January 31, 2025
Pace/MacGill Gallery, 2004; Private collection, San Francisco.
Overall good condition. A few small areas of retouching to the hat and coat of the right most figure visible upon UV inspection. Slight silver mirroring to the figure's cloaks visible in raking light. A minor accretion located near the 3rd left most figure also visible under closer UV inspection. An approximate 4 inch hard crease in bottom left corner extends from the margin into the image. Other scattered creases and undulations are localized to the margins, not visible through window mat. Tape remnants on the sheet's lower margin recto, also not visible through window mat. Sheet curls slightly upward at the top and bottom edges. Most condition issues listed in this report are not visible through window mat and frame. Cornered to a window mat and framed under glass measuring 16-1/2 x 18-1/2 inches.
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