Couple/Paris
1949
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 35.1 x 16.6 cm (13 13/16 x 6 9/16 in.) sheet: 35.2 x 31.3 cm (13 7/8 x 12 5/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Robert Frank Collection, Gift of Robert Frank in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Accession Number
1990.28.29.19
Art Historical Context
**Couple/Paris (1949)** by Robert Frank captures a fleeting moment of intimacy on the streets of post-World War II Paris. This gelatin silver print, measuring 35.1 x 16.6 cm, Frank's early mastery of candid street photography. Born in Switzerland in 1924, Frank had recently arrived in Paris after moving to New York in 1947, immersing himself in Europe's vibrant urban life. The image reflects the era's atmosphere of recovery and romance, with its sharp contrasts and spontaneous composition highlighting everyday human connections amid the city's historic backdrop. Frank's work here foreshadows ...
About the Artist
Robert Frank
Robert Frank (1924-2019) was a Swiss-American photographer and documentary filmmaker whose revolutionary approach to documentary photography fundamentally transformed the medium and influenced generations of artists. Born in Zurich, Switzerland, on November 9, 1924, to a middle-class Jewish family, Frank began his photographic apprenticeship in 1941, working with commercial photographers before im...