Parade--New York City no number 1949

This is Robert Frank's contact sheet from an undated New York City parade. Frank, a Swiss immigrant, gained notoriety in the U.S. during the 1950s, a period marked by both the rise of consumer culture and deeply entrenched racial segregation. Frank's outsider perspective allowed him to capture the nuances of American society with a critical eye. This contact sheet shows a parade, an event meant to display collective pride, yet Frank's lens reveals a more complex narrative. The images present a mix of patriotism and spectacle. Rows of marchers, American flags, and onlookers are juxtaposed with shots of parade floats. What do these images tell us about belonging and exclusion? About the stories a nation tells itself, and who gets to tell them? Ultimately, Frank's work encourages us to question the idealized images of American life that were so prevalent during his time, and to consider the lived experiences of those often left out of the frame.