Waitress, Ventura Boulevard--Los Angeles 1956

"Waitress, Ventura Boulevard--Los Angeles" (1956) is a black and white photograph by Robert Frank. This image, part of his iconic book "The Americans", captures a waitress in a Los Angeles diner, her face illuminated by fluorescent lights. Frank's candid style, with its focus on everyday life and ordinary people, reflects the rise of social documentary photography in the mid-20th century. The photograph's stark composition and high contrast heighten the feeling of isolation and anonymity experienced in modern urban life.