Brandywine Museum of Art to present "Robert Frank & Todd Webb: Across America, 1955"
Chadds Ford, PA, January 16, 2025 — Coming to the Brandywine Museum of Art in February, Robert Frank & Todd Webb: Across America, 1955 features a series of black-and-white photographs depicting the journeys of two artists, who each captured singular views of America in 1955. During that year, Robert Frank and Todd Webb both received prestigious fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation for projects in which they would photograph the United States on cross-country road trips. This special exhibition brings together for the very first time over 100 photographs that came from both 1955 projects, showcasing how the artists put their own unique stamp on their ambitious assignments. Across America will be on view from February 9–May 11, 2025 at the Brandywine—the final venue for this traveling exhibition.
Organized by The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), Across America reveals the unvarnished state of American life at mid-century shown through the unique lens and perspectives of Robert Frank (1924–2019) and Todd Webb (1905–2000). By 1955, both artists were established and well connected, but looking to grow beyond commercial photography. At 30 years old, Frank had a growing reputation as a photographer and had achieved success contributing commissioned photographs to magazines such as Harper’s Bizarre, Fortune, Life, and Look. Prior to this project, he had traveled throughout Europe and South America, honing his eye and refining his art. At 49 years old, Webb had reached the top of the photographic field, and his work had been featured in several exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art. With this 1955 project, he wanted to challenge himself, free of commercial constraints.
As they set out on their respective cross-country journeys, Webb wished to “depict vanishing Americana and what is taking place,” while Swiss-born Frank stated his project would be driven by “what one naturalized American finds to see in the United States that signifies the kind of civilization born here and spreading elsewhere.” Webb’s tender, carefully composed images celebrated the individual oddities of the American way of life, whereas the grainy, off-kilter style of Frank’s images matched his examination of the darker side of America. Frank’s resulting work became a landmark text in the history of photography, and Webb’s project remains almost entirely unknown.
“This exhibition is a fascinating look at two artists striving to create what was in effect a portrait of America during their cross-country travels,” said Thomas Padon, the James H. Duff Director of the Brandywine Museum of Art. Padon added, “The photographs taken by Frank on his trip remain among the most iconic in American photography, and the exhibition provides the rich context in which they were made. Because the location of the Todd Webb archives were unknown for decades, this exhibition is also the first opportunity to view the remarkable photographs he took that pivotal year.”
As they embarked on their separate cross-country surveys, Frank and Webb chose different methods of travel, different photographic approaches and styles, and were interested in different aspects of American culture. While neither artist found the exact vision of America they expected, the truth they encountered was irreconcilable with the idealized American image from popular media. Yet, in the distance between the myth and reality, both men found fertile ground for their art.
Frank’s shot-from-the-hip works captured movement with selected focus, some shot from the window of his moving car. With his bold, confrontational style of photography, Frank critiqued America’s social divisions and economic inequalities while depicting its people with grace and compassion. The exhibition features both published and unpublished works from Frank’s celebrated 1958 book, The Americans. Meanwhile, Webb’s never-before-seen images are characterized by their focused stillness. Choosing to walk, boat and bike his way across the country, Webb’s pedestrian pace matched his measured method of image capture. His photographs revealed, often humorously, the empty promises behind American consumerism.
While their journeys were different, in some instances, Frank’s and Webb’s images were strikingly similar—both men photographed bars, cowboys, crowds, roadside attractions, parades, and small towns. These similarities in subject matter can be traced to popular cultural trends and shared ideologies. Both men engaged in projects that challenged the idealism of the “American Roadtrip” and the mythology of American prosperity as depicted in popular culture. Examples in the exhibition of photographs by the two artists created in the same location further reveal the photographers’ diverse perspectives and approaches. “It’s eye-opening to put these projects side-by-side for the first time,” noted exhibition organizer Lisa Volpe, MFAH Curator of Photography. “It reveals the humanity in Webb’s work, and the underrecognized, but profound hope in Frank’s photographs.”
Robert Frank and Todd Webb: Across America, 1955 is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, America and Other Myths: Photographs by Robert Frank and Todd Webb, 1955, with an essay by curator Lisa Volpe and an afterward by author Susan Straight. The book also includes the first-ever publication of Webb’s photographs from his 1955 journey, alongside Frank’s images.
About Robert Frank and Todd Webb:
Over 60 years, Robert Frank (American, born Switzerland, 1924–2019) radicalized photography through his selection of subject matter and his rough, highly charged vision, expressing a personal viewpoint of the world. Frank emigrated from Switzerland to the United States in 1947 and briefly worked for top fashion magazines, including Harper’s Bazaar and Mademoiselle. He was the first European photographer to receive the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, which he used to travel the country’s highways, photographing postwar America.
Todd Webb (American, 1905–2000) is noted for his endless curiosity and compassion, and his patient eye. Webb’s broad humanity was shaped by his life experience. A successful stockbroker in the 1920s, he lost all of his earnings in the Crash of 1929. During the Depression, Webb prospected for gold, worked as a forest ranger, wrote short stories and picked up a camera. His interest in and love for photography soon crowded out his other ambitions. After serving in World War II, Webb moved to New York to devote himself completely to photography.
About the Brandywine Museum of Art:
The Brandywine Museum of Art features an outstanding collection of American art housed in a 19th-century Mill building with a dramatic steel and glass addition overlooking the banks of the Brandywine Creek. The Museum is located on Route 1 in Chadds Ford, PA. Current admission rates and hours of operation can be found at www.brandywine.org/hours. Guided tours of the Andrew Wyeth Studio, N. C. Wyeth House & Studio and the Kuerner Farm—all National Historic Landmarks—are available seasonally (for an additional fee); advance reservations are recommended. For more information, call 610.388.2700 or visit brandywine.org/museum. The Museum is one of the two programs of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art.
About the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art:
The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art preserves and promotes the natural and cultural connections between the area’s beautiful landscape, historic sites and important artists. The Conservancy protects the lands and waters throughout the Brandywine Valley and other priority conservation areas, developing sustainable approaches to emerging needs and assuring preservation of majestic open spaces and protection of natural resources for generations to come. The Museum of Art presents and collects historic and contemporary works of American art, engaging and exciting visitors of all ages through an array of exhibitions and programs. The Brandywine unites the inspiring experiences of art and nature, enhancing the quality of life in its community and among its diverse audiences.
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