Renowned photographer Robert Frank's earliest artistic work, "Mary's Book," has been published for the first time in its complete form by Éditions Delpire & Co, offering an unprecedented look into the personal life and artistic genesis of the creator of the iconic photography collection "The Americans." This intimate chronicle, originally created in 1949 as a visual love letter to Frank's fiancée who remained in the United States while he explored post-war Paris, represents a pivotal moment in both his personal journey and the development of his revolutionary approach to photobook creation.
Frank, who would later gain international recognition for "The Americans" when it was first published by Delpire in 1958, began his artistic career amid the vibrant cultural atmosphere of post-war Paris. Between 1949 and 1953, his extended stays in the French capital profoundly influenced both his life trajectory and artistic vision, establishing foundations that would shape his entire career. During this formative period, the young photographer developed his distinctive style of combining visual and textual storytelling that would become his signature approach.
The original "Mary's Book" consists of handcrafted pages that Frank bound together himself, featuring a unique combination of cut-and-pasted photographs alongside handwritten text composed in both French and English. This bilingual approach reflects Frank's immersive experience in Parisian culture while maintaining his connection to his American roots and his beloved fiancée across the Atlantic. The intimate nature of this work provides remarkable insight into Frank's personal methodology and emotional state during this crucial period of artistic development.
This historic publication represents not only a key moment in Robert Frank's personal life but also marks the genesis of his innovative approach to photobook creation. The distinctive way Frank arranged images on the page in "Mary's Book" would become a recurring element throughout his subsequent publications, establishing a visual language that would influence generations of photographers and artists. His technique of juxtaposing photographs with personal text created a new form of visual storytelling that bridged the gap between documentary photography and personal narrative.
The comprehensive publication features scholarly contributions from distinguished experts in the field of photography. Stuart Alexander, a respected photography historian, and Kristen Gresh, curator at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, have contributed texts that pay tribute to Frank's artistic approach and trace his influential journey through the world of photography. Their analysis provides crucial context for understanding the significance of "Mary's Book" within Frank's broader body of work and its impact on contemporary photography.
The deluxe edition, measuring 23.5 x 32.5 centimeters, features a hardcover format with elegant cloth binding and an embossed cover design. The 136-page publication includes a specially produced 24-page facsimile insert that reproduces "Mary's Book" in its original form for the first time, allowing readers to experience Frank's intimate creation as he originally conceived it. Published in French and priced at 60 euros, the book carries the ISBN 979-10-95821-81-6 and is available through Delpire and Co's official website at delpireandco.com, making this previously unseen masterpiece accessible to photography enthusiasts and scholars worldwide for the first time in its complete form.
