When we checked into the Hotel Finlen in Butte, Montana, I knew that Robert had stayed in town, but only after consulting with Sandra, the manager, did I confirm that we were, in fact, in the same hostelry where he took the moody photo from his window.
Sandra kindly offered to show us his room. Equipped with my Leica M3, Summicron 50mm f2 lens, and a roll of Ilford HP5+, we rode the elevator to the 9th floor.
Butte is a different place than it was when Robert Frank passed through in May of 1956, but it is, with its large inventory of historical buildings, instantly recognizable. These days, its long history of mining and labor disputes are more of a tourist attraction than a growing industry.
And while much of the country is forever changed since that time, there’s no doubt about the outsized influence that his book — and its 83 images — has had on successive generations of photographers. And photography.
Share this post:
Comments
thorsten on Robert Frank’s View in Butte, Montana – One Shot Story
Comment posted: 18/08/2025
Comment posted: 18/08/2025
Comment posted: 18/08/2025
Gordon Ownby on Robert Frank’s View in Butte, Montana – One Shot Story
Comment posted: 18/08/2025
Comment posted: 18/08/2025
Gary Smith on Robert Frank’s View in Butte, Montana – One Shot Story
Comment posted: 18/08/2025
Comment posted: 18/08/2025
Comment posted: 18/08/2025
Comment posted: 18/08/2025
Graham Line on Robert Frank’s View in Butte, Montana – One Shot Story
Comment posted: 19/08/2025
Comment posted: 19/08/2025
Keith Drysdale on Robert Frank’s View in Butte, Montana – One Shot Story
Comment posted: 19/08/2025
Comment posted: 19/08/2025
Dogman on Robert Frank’s View in Butte, Montana – One Shot Story
Comment posted: 19/08/2025
I love Frank's work but it took me years to really appreciate him. Too much time invested in "the rules" had me blind to how rules don't really apply to craftsmen, artists and geniuses. Frank set his own highly flexible rules. We now follow his lead whether we know it or not. He touched everything photographic since the publication of "The Americans".
Thank you, John, for the wonderful photo and remembrance.
Comment posted: 19/08/2025
Stephen Hanka on Robert Frank’s View in Butte, Montana – One Shot Story
Comment posted: 20/08/2025
Thanks for posting this great image. I was unaware of Robert Frank until I saw it. My horizons are now wider
Comment posted: 20/08/2025
Tony Warren on Robert Frank’s View in Butte, Montana – One Shot Story
Comment posted: 21/08/2025
Given what followed in the next few decades, it sets the scene in rather sad, in some cases, dour terms. I was also struck by the lack of interaction between Frank and his subjects. He mostly seems to be on the outside looking in and the people he photographs that are actually aware of his camera are either only mildly interested, suspicious or looking quite threatening, in the case of the New York biker. This must have been the reaction of a European of the day exposed to life at the time in the US.
I make these comments with the benefit of hindsight. Had I seen the book in 1959, my second year at university, I am not sure what my reaction would have been. Probably surprise at the obvious social divisions but more accepting, possibly through being used to the similar order imposed between the wealthy and the rest of us throughout history.
I think the main message the book leaves me with is how important photographers like Hine, FSA, Smith and the rest are in recording times as they were. Hopefully, eventually, the message may sink in.
Comment posted: 21/08/2025
Comment posted: 21/08/2025
Samiran Mandal on Robert Frank’s View in Butte, Montana – One Shot Story
Comment posted: 04/09/2025