Bowery, New York City 2 1957 - 1959

Robert Frank created "Bowery, New York City 2," a gelatin silver print, as part of his work capturing American life. Frank, a Swiss immigrant, found himself an outsider in the US, which gave him a unique perspective on American society. The Bowery, known for its flophouses and marginalized population, is depicted here through strips of film, as if contact sheets, offering glimpses into a world often unseen. The Bowery was a place of last resort, a place where the failures of the American Dream were on full display. Frank seems to ask: Who gets to participate in this dream, and who is left behind? Frank's work challenged the idealized images of America prevalent in mainstream media, and he once said he was trying to show "what it is to be American." The rough, unpolished style mirrors the raw reality of his subjects' lives. "Bowery, New York City 2" is a powerful reminder of the social inequalities embedded in the American landscape, and Frank confronts us with the emotional weight of poverty and neglect.