Robert Frank

Granted a Guggenheim fellowship in 1955, Swiss artist Frank intended in his application to portray "a broad, voluminous picture record of things American, past and present." Working in a gritty and expressive printing style, he often captured a darker side of society than most people were willing to acknowledge. His blatantly subjective images published in the book The Americans influenced generations of photographers. In this image, created three years after the release of The Americans, Frank continued his study of American life, capturing a discordant mixture of city dwellers at the most populous of urban crossroads, Times Square.