MFA Boston Welcomes 38 Iconic Robert Frank Photographs: A Glimpse into 1940s Parisian Life

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), has obtained 38 images by the renowned photographer Robert Frank (1924-2019), celebrated for his 1958 publication The Americans. The acquisition includes 34 photographs contributed by the June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation, along with an additional four pieces purchased with donations from John Reed, the previous chief executive of Citibank, and his spouse Cynthia.

The photographs, captured in 1949, present snapshots of Paris, including a group of children observing a blind street performer with an accordion; another image features a trolley car adorned with the word “circus” on its side. These visuals were taken when Frank, originally from Switzerland, returned to Europe after spending two years in New York.

The images acquired by the MFA are displayed in the exhibition Robert Frank: Mary’s Book (running until 22 June 2025), which investigates the personal scrapbook of photos Frank compiled for Mary Lockspeiser, his first spouse. “Created in 1949, the unique, handmade book [Mary’s Book] signifies a pivotal period in Frank’s career, during which he experimented with the combination of images and text,” states a museum announcement.

The Americans by Frank—an unsanitized portrayal of the politics and populace of the United States—was an immensely impactful collection of photographs of his adopted compatriots. In our tribute, we noted that Frank’s influence on photography was as extensive as it was unavoidable. “If there was an ocean of photography, he was the anchor that everyone desired to connect to,” remarked photographer and filmmaker Stephen Wilkes, “He was a pioneer, possessing such imagination. I, personally, carried The Americans as if it were a scripture.”

The Financial Times asserts that The Americans was “the uncommon photography book that instantly became a classic, a subtle commentary on American failures during the peak of the Cold War… but Frank grew to detest his images’ eloquence and beauty, fearing that their success had ensnared him. He believed he was fated to spend his life revisiting The Americans.” The MFA has also obtained the photograph 4th of July, Jay, New York (1954), which was included in The Americans (the acquisition was facilitated by the Horace W. Goldsmith Fund for Photography, among others).

An exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Robert Frank’s Scrapbook Footage (running until spring 2025), features footage from 1970 to 2006 compiled into a moving-image scrapbook. “The footage in this exhibition, assembled by [editor] Laura Israel and [art director] Alex Bingham to evoke his restless gaze and voice, provides fresh insights into his creative process—both humorous and poignant,” states a museum declaration. The films portray family, friends, and collaborators, along with domestic settings and scenes of urban landscapes and coastlines.