signed, titled, and dated by the photographer in ink in the margin, matted, 1949

Acquired by the present owner from the photographer

Another print of this image:

'Robert Frank, Part Two,' Du, November 2002, pp. 54-55

This early print, on double-weight paper with a soft sheen and a warm tonality, is in generally very good condition. There is light soiling in the upper left margin and small, faint rust-colored deposits of an indeterminate nature at the upper left edge and corner of the print. There are soft handling creases in the upper margin and slight wear at the edges, with some tiny losses at the lower left margin edge and corner. The corners are slightly bumped, and the upper corners have small creases. These are negligible. There is random light soiling on the reverse of the print.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

During his 1949 sojourn in Paris, chairs—mostly empty, but sometimes occupied by individuals or by inanimate objects—were a common theme in Robert Frank's photography.  A sequence of chair studies were included in Mary's Book, a unique handma꧒de photographic volume that he assembled in December 1949 for Mary Lockspeiser, whom he married in 1950. 

Frank's late 1940s photographs of Paris are unique within his early work for their atmospheric and sometimes romantic quality.  This characteristic is notably absent in the far grittier photographs that comprise Frank's Americans series, done in the 1950s.  It is not until the collagistic work that Frank began in the 1970s that emotional content and more personal themes would become present once again in𒅌🔥 his images.