Children, Motorama--Los Angeles 1956

Robert Frank made this gelatin silver print, "Children, Motorama--Los Angeles," sometime in the middle of the 20th century. It presents a scene inside an automobile, where children look out with an air of detached curiosity. Frank's work sits within a photographic tradition that challenged the overly posed and polished images often seen in advertising or state-sponsored photography. The perspective is intimate and immediate. The choice of shooting inside a car speaks volumes about the burgeoning car culture in post-war America. The "Motorama" in the title, likely a reference to a popular auto show, suggests an era of optimism tied to industrial progress. Understanding Frank's work involves looking into sources from the period, such as sociological studies of American life, advertising materials that promoted car ownership, and historical accounts of urban development in cities like Los Angeles. These resources would offer a richer understanding of the social landscape that Frank was capturing and critiquing.