signed and dated in ink in the margin, the photographer's copyright stamp, with credit and date in ink, his 'Robert Frank Archive' stamp, with title, annotation 'The Americans,' and numbers '82' and '871,' in pencil on the reverse, framed, 1956, printed in the 1970s

Christie's New York, Important Photographs from A Private American Collection, 17 October 2007, Sale 2067, Lot 37

Robert Frank, The Americans (New York, 1986 edition), p. 173

Sarah Greenough and Philip Brookman, Robert Frank: Moving Out (Washington, D. C.: National Gallery of Art, 1994), ൲p. 195

Sarah Greenough, Robert Frank's The Americans: Looking In (Washi💜ngton, D. C.: National Gallery of Art, 2009), pp. 309, 482-3, and Contact #82

'Robert Frank,' Du, January 1962, Vol. 22, No. 1, p. 18

Robert Frank (Aperture, 1976), p. 37

Tod Papageorge, Walker Evans and Robert Frank: An Essay on Influence (Yale University Art Gallery, 1981), p. 39

Robert Frank (Paris: Centre Nationa♋le de la Photographie, 1985), pl. 37

Robert Frank: Story Lines (London: Tate Modern, 2004), unpaginated

This print, on double-weight paper with a slight surface sheen, is in generally excellent condition.
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.

Robert Frank’s status as an outsider informed his choices throughout his Guggenheim travels, and his photographs show a fascination with all aspects of American culture.  Stopping in Indianapolis in 1956, Frank took several photographs of bikers, including members of an African-American motorcycle club, one of many such clubs that formed across America in the 1950s and 1960s.  A signature image from Frank’s Americans series, the photograph offered here has been recently discovered to show Matthew ‘Mack’ Smiley, a foundry worker and motorcycle enthusiast, and his wife Telester.