Presentation on American culture in the 1950s and the counter culture

1. American
Culture
in
the
1950s
Art
109A:
Contemporary
Art
Westchester
Community
College
Fall
2012
Dr.
Melissa
Hall

2. America
in
the
1950s
The
United
States
emerged
from
World
War
II
with
a
booming
economy
and
a
new
sense
of
global
importance.
“America
at
this
moment,”
said
the
former
BriVsh
Prime
Minister
Winston
Churchill
in
1945,
“stands
at
the
summit
of
the
world.”
During
the
1950s,
it
was
easy
to
see
what
Churchill
meant.
The
United
States
was
the
world’s
strongest
military
power.
Its
economy
was
booming,
and
the
fruits
of
this
prosperity–new
cars,
suburban
houses
and
other
consumer
goods–
were
available
to
more
people
than
ever
before.
However,
the
1950s
were
also
an
era
of
great
conflict.
For
example,
the
nascent
civil
rights
movement
and
the
crusade
against
communism
at
home
and
abroad
exposed
the
underlying
divisions
in
American
society.
“The
1950s,”
History.com
USS
Steel
Ad,
Country
Gentleman,
September
1947
Image
source:
hIp://www.flickr.com/photos/incidental-­‐ephemera/3301076481/

3. America
in
the
1950s
In
1952
President
Dwight
D.
Eisenhower
was
elected
with
the
promise
of
“peace
and
prosperity”
President
Dwight
D.
Eisenhower
in
the
Oval
Office,
Feb.
29,
1956

4. America
in
the
1950s
Under
his
administraVon
faith
was
restored
in
American
capitalism
President
Dwight
D.
Eisenhower
in
the
Oval
Office,
Feb.
29,
1956

5. America
in
the
1950s
The
“American
Dream”
made
the
capitalist
pursuit
of
material
wealth
a
patrioVc
ideal
and
an
expression
of
personal
freedom
“American
economic
success
hinged
on
mass
consumerism
.
.
.
.
Americans
were
urged
to
go
on
a
shopping
spree:
buying
new
cars,
suburban
homes,
washing
machines,
refrigerators,
and
television
sets.”
Erika
Doss,
Twen8eth
Century
American
Art,
Oxford
History
of
Art,
Oxford
University
Press,
2002,
p.
125.
1950
refrigerator
ad;
image
source:
Image
source:
hIp://todaysinspiraVon.blogspot.com/2006/11/a_er-­‐war-­‐suburbia.html
hIp://www.marketworks.com/StoreFrontProfiles/
DeluxeSFItemDetail.aspx?sid=1&sfid=44192&c=102794&i=231907881

6. America
in
the
1950s
The
G.I.
Bill
offered
soldiers
substanVal
benefits,
including
free
educaVon,
job
training,
and
mortgage
and
business
loans
Returning
veterans
could
choose
from
school,
job,
business,
and
farm
assistance
from
the
GI
Bill.
(Folder
13,
Box
36,
Defense
Council
Records,
OSA)
Image
source:
hIp://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/pages/exhibits/ww2/a_er/gi.htm

7. America
in
the
1950s
Returning
vets
married,
seIled
down,
and
had
babies
-­‐-­‐
lots
of
them!
A
veteran
and
his
wife
look
at
plans
and
dream
about
their
future
together
in
their
new
home
financed
by
a
GI
Bill
loan.
(Folder
14,
Box
37,
Defense
Council
Records,
OSA)
Image
source:
hIp://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/exhibits/ww2/a_er/gi1.htm

8. America
in
the
1950s
Middle
class
expansion
led
to
the
dramaVc
growth
of
suburbs
Image
source:
hIp://www.capitalcentury.com/1951.html
Bernard
Hoffmann,
for
Life
Magazine,
Bernard
Levey
Family
Image
source:
hIp://Vgger.uic.edu/~pbhales/LeviIown.html

9. America
in
the
1950s
The
family
car
became
a
conspicuous
symbol
of
middle
class
prosperity
Vintage
automobile
ad
Image
source:
hIp://www.graphicmania.net/30-­‐inspiring-­‐vintage-­‐
adverVsements-­‐and-­‐creaVve-­‐direcVons/
Vintage
automobile
ad
Image
source:
hIp://justoldcars.com/?p=2327

10. America
in
the
1950s
TV
became
the
center
of
family
life,
and
a
prime
purveyor
of
the
“American
Dream”
Image
source:
hIp://www.flickr.com/photos/76438106@N07/ Family
watching
television,
c.
1958
galleries/72157629652639701
NaVonal
Archives
and
Records
AdministraVon

11. America
in
the
1950s
The
family
home
became
a
site
of
consumpVon
for
new
products
that
promised
a
golden
age
of
suburban
domesVcity
Vintage
appliance
ads
Image
source:
hIp://goldcountrygirls.blogspot.com/2011/08/rhapsody-­‐in-­‐blue-­‐appliances.html

12. America
in
the
1950s
The
home
itself
became
a
“machine
for
living”
as
efficiency
and
modern
design
replaced
the
cluIer
of
a
bygone
era
Image
source:
hIp://davidbuildsahouse.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/fiIed-­‐kitchens-­‐in-­‐the-­‐1950s-­‐and-­‐1960s/

13. America
in
the
1950s
Faith
in
progress
was
expressed
through
the
popularity
of
modern
design
in
everything
from
furniture
to
toasters
and
cars
Image
source:
hIp://csales-­‐mylifestory.blogspot.com/2011/12/beIer-­‐homes-­‐and-­‐gardens-­‐1950s.html

14. America
in
the
1950s
Prosperity
bred
new
forms
of
leisure
and
the
birth
of
the
family
vacaVon
Image
source:
hIp://ranch-­‐wife.blogspot.com/2012/06/road-­‐trip-­‐
homeward-­‐bound-­‐to-­‐california.html
The
First
McDonald’s
franchise
opened
in
Des
Plaines,
Illinois,
1954.
Photograph
by
andy
Felsenthal/
Corbis
.
Image
source:
hIp://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-­‐150940/The-­‐first-­‐McDonalds-­‐restaurant-­‐opened-­‐by-­‐Ray-­‐Kroc-­‐
was-­‐made

15. America
in
the
1950s
But
the
1950’s
was
also
a
period
of
great
psychological
anxiety
Time
Magazine
April
12
1954
Image
source:
hIp://www.Vme.com/Vme/covers/0,16641,19540412,00.html

16. America
in
the
1950s
The
Soviet
Union
detonated
its
first
Atomic
bomb
in
1949,
launching
the
Cold
War
Russian
Atomic
Bomb
test,
Kazakhstan,
August
29,
1949
Image
source:
hIp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_atomic_bomb_project

17. America
in
the
1950s
In
the
same
year
a
communist
government
was
installed
in
China
Mao
Tse
Tung,
Time,
Feb
7,
1949
Image
source:
hIp://www.Vme.com/Vme/covers/0,16641,19490207,00.html

18. America
in
the
1950s
The
Korean
War
(1950-­‐1953)
was
a
direct
outcome
of
the
Cold
War,
as
U.S.
forces
fought
to
stem
the
expansion
of
communism
Image
source:
hIp://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/JimKyle/
KoreanWar/oklahoman_1950_06_25_arVcle.jpg
Image
source:
hIp://wps.pearsoncustom.com/wps/media/objects/2428/2487068/atlas/atl_ah6_m004.html

19. America
in
the
1950s
Tensions
heated
up
again
in
1957
when
the
Soviets
launched
Sputnik,
the
first
earth
orbiVng
satellite
Sputnik,
the
Soviet
satellite
that
launched
the
the
race
to
the
moon
Image
source:
hIp://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap071004.html

20. America
in
the
1950s
America
responded
with
Explorer
1,
as
the
Space
Race
took
the
Arms
Race
into
outer
space
Explorer
1,
America’s
first
earth
satellite,
launched
January
31,
1958
Image
source:
hIp://whiIleseaspacerace.wikispaces.com/Cold
+War+and+Space+Race
A
model
of
Explorer
1,
held
by
JPL's
Director
William
Pickering,
scienVst
James
Van
Allen
and
rocket
pioneer
Wernher
von
Braun.
Image
source:
hIp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Explorer_1_conference.jpg

21. America
in
the
1950s
Fear
of
nuclear
Armageddon
was
matched
by
widespread
anxiety
about
the
spread
of
communism
Image
source:
hIp://www.conelrad.com/books/print.php?
id=267_0_1_0
Cover
to
the
propaganda
comic
book
"Is
This
Tomorrow"'
published
in
1947
by
the
CatecheVcal
Guild
Wikipedia

22. America
in
the
1950s
This
was
the
era
of
Senator
Joseph
McCarthy
who
led
a
witch
hunt
against
alleged
communist
sympathizers
within
the
US
State
Department
Senator
Joseph
McCarthy,
Time,
March
8,
1954
Hank
Walker,
Sen.
Joseph
McCarthy
swearing
in
author
Dashiell
HammeI
at
Senate
Permanent
InvesVgaVng
CommiIee
hearing
on
Communism,
1953.
HammeI
is
suspected
of
being
a
communist.
LIFE

23. “During
the
1950s,
a
sense
of
uniformity
pervaded
American
society.
Conformity
was
common,
as
America
in
the
1950s
young
and
old
alike
followed
group
norms
rather
Conformity
was
at
the
heart
of
than
striking
out
on
their
own.
Though
men
and
America’s
so-­‐called
“consensus
culture”
women
had
been
forced
into
new
employment
paIerns
during
World
War
II,
once
the
war
was
“Americans
of
1950s
sought
over,
tradiVonal
roles
were
reaffirmed.
Men
consensus-­‐-­‐everyone
should
fit
expected
to
be
the
breadwinners;
women,
even
into
an
"American"
mold,
those
when
they
worked,
assumed
their
proper
place
was
who
didn't
were
seen
as
at
home.
Sociologist
David
Riesman
observed
the
dangerous.”
hIp://mrfarshtey.net/notes/ importance
of
peer-­‐group
expectaVons
in
his
The_1950s.pdf
influenVal
book,
The
Lonely
Crowd.
He
called
this
new
society
"other-­‐directed,"
and
maintained
that
such
socieVes
lead
to
stability
as
well
as
conformity.
Television
contributed
to
the
homogenizing
trend
by
providing
young
and
old
with
a
shared
experience
reflecVng
accepted
social
paIerns.”
hIp://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/history/ch11.htm

24. America
in
the
1950s
“Humorously
depicVng
a
suburban
family
going
to
church,
Rockwell’s
slick
commercial
illustraVon
for
the
Saturday
Evening
Post
captured
the
conformism
of
1950s
America.
Yet
it
also
hints
at
postwar
malcontent:
the
male
breadwinner
of
this
middle-­‐class
household
hides
in
his
Eero
Saarinen
chair,
trying
to
escape
from
familial
and
social
obligaVons.”
Erika
Doss,
TwenVeth
Century
American
Art,
p.
141
Norman
Rockwell,
Easter
Morning,
1959

25. America
in
the
1950s
But
the
1950s
also
witnessed
an
emerging
“counter
culture”
that
rebelled
against
American
conformity.
“The
decade
of
the
1950s
has
a
reputaVon
as
an
age
of
poliVcal,
social,
and
cultural
conformity.
Yet,
as
Professor
Alan
Brinkley
states,
"An
acVvist
naVonal
agenda
emerged
from
a
series
of
criVques
of
and
protests
against
the
self-­‐saVsfied
public
culture
of
middle-­‐class
America
in
the
1950s.
The
acVvist
agenda
that
emerged
helped
lay
the
groundwork
for
a
more
acVvist
poliVcs
and
a
more
turbulent
and
divisive
social
climate
in
the
1960s."
hIp://caho-­‐test.cc.columbia.edu//dbq/
11011.html
Norman
Rockwell,
Easter
Morning,
1959

26. America
in
the
1950s
William
H.
Whyte
criVcized
the
conformism
of
American
corporate
culture
in
The
Organiza8on
Man
–
epitomized
by
the
image
of
the
“man
in
the
flannel
suit”
William
H.
Whyte’s
The
Organiza8on
Man,
1956

27. America
in
the
1950s
“Regarded
as
one
of
the
most
important
sociological
and
business
commentaries
of
modern
Vmes,
The
Organiza8on
Man
developed
the
first
thorough
descripVon
of
the
impact
of
mass
organizaVon
on
American
society.
During
the
height
of
the
Eisenhower
administraVon,
corporaVons
appeared
to
provide
a
blissful
answer
to
postwar
life
with
the
markeVng
of
new
technologies—television,
affordable
cars,
space
travel,
fast
food—and
lifestyles,
such
as
carefully
planned
suburban
communiVes
centered
around
the
nuclear
family.
William
H.
Whyte
found
this
phenomenon
alarming.”
hIp://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/
book/13785.html
William
H.
Whyte’s
The
Organiza8on
Man,
1956

28. America
in
the
1950s
“The
Catcher
in
the
Rye
is
a
1951
cult
novel
wriIen
by
J.D.
Salinger.
It
.
.
.
became
a
instant
hit
among
teenage
readers
for
its
themes
which
includes
teenage
confusion,
angst,
alienaVon,
language
and
rebellion.
Holden
Caufield,
the
protagonist
and
anVhero
of
the
novel,
became
an
icon
of
teenage
rebellion
.
.
.
The
novel
was
published
at
a
Vme
when
the
American
industrial
economy
was
burgeoning
making
the
naVon
prosperous
and
entrenched
social
rules
served
as
a
code
of
conformity
for
the
younger
generaVon.
Many
readers
were
offended
because
of
Salinger’s
usage
of
slang
and
profanity
and
also
because
of
the
discussion
of
adolescent
sexuality
in
a
complex
and
open
way
.
.
.
In
the
face
of
cultural
oppression,
Holden
Caulfield,
was
seen
as
a
symbol
of
pure,
unfeIered
individuality
by
many
readers.
Catcher
In
The
Rye
–
J.
D.
Salinger
|
Suite101.com
hIp://
suite101.com/arVcle/catcher-­‐in-­‐the-­‐rye-­‐-­‐j-­‐d-­‐salinger-­‐
a392569#ixzz1yv5xXe73
J.D.
Salinger,
The
Catcher
in
the
Rye,
1951

29. America
in
the
1950s
Many
expressed
concern
about
the
growing
power
of
mass
media
Typical
American
family
gathered
around
TV,
which
displays
John
F.
Kennedy's
face,
to
watch
debate
between
Kennedy
&
Richard
Nixon
during
presidenVal
elecVon,
1960
LIFE
Image
source:
hIp://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Father-­‐Knows-­‐Best-­‐Season-­‐1/8782

30. America
in
the
1950s
Vance
Packard
aIacked
adverVsing
and
TV
as
agents
of
social
conformism
“In
The
Hidden
Persuaders,
first
published
in
1957,
Packard
explores
the
use
of
consumer
moVvaVonal
research
and
other
psychological
techniques,
including
depth
psychology
and
subliminal
tacVcs,
by
adverVsers
to
manipulate
expectaVons
and
induce
desire
for
products,
parVcularly
in
the
American
postwar
era.
He
idenVfied
eight
"compelling
needs"
that
adverVsers
promise
products
will
fulfill.
According
to
Packard
these
needs
are
so
strong
that
people
are
compelled
to
buy
products
to
saVsfy
them.
The
book
also
explores
the
manipulaVve
techniques
of
promoVng
poliVcians
to
the
electorate.
The
book
quesVons
the
morality
of
using
these
techniques.”
Wikipedia
Vance
Packard,
Hidden
Persuaders,
1957

31. America
in
the
1950s
The
Civil
Rights
movement
was
also
launched
in
the
1950s
–
challenging
the
the
myth
of
America’s
claim
to
freedom
and
equality
for
all
Rosa
Parks,
defying
segregaVon
laws
by
si~ng
in
the
Front
of
a
Montgomery
Alabama
Bus,
1956
Image
source:
hIp://www.infoimaginaVon.org/ps/marVn/rosa.html

32. America
in
the
1950s
“One
of
the
most
important
legal
decisions
in
U.S.
history,
the
1954
Supreme
Court
case
Brown
v.
Board
of
EducaVon
of
Topeka,
Kansas
declared
school
segregaVon
unconsVtuVonal
and
paved
the
way
for
the
civil
rights
achievements
of
the
1960s.
By
overturning
the
"separate
but
equal"
doctrine
established
in
Plessey
v.
Ferguson
(1896),
Brown
v.
Board
of
EducaVon
began
the
process
of
unraveling
more
than
half
a
century
of
federally
sancVoned
discriminaVon
against
African
Americans.
As
a
result,
it
also
iniVated
a
struggle
between
a
government
now
obligated
to
integrate
all
public
schools
and
recalcitrant
African
American
students
arriving
at
Central
High
School,
LiIle
Rock,
communiVes
determined
to
maintain
Arkansas,
in
U.S.
Army
car,
1957
the
status
quo.”
Image
source:
hIp://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civilrights/cr-­‐exhibit.html
hIp://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/
features/archive/0507/
photo_essay.jsp?page=1

33. America
in
the
1950s
The
emergence
of
“Rock
‘n
Roll”
was
also
a
rebellion
against
the
normaVve
values
of
middle
class
“consensus
culture”
Drawing
on
African
American
rhythm
and
Blues,
and
trading
on
sexually
charged
lyrics
and
dance
moves
(Presley’s
famous
gyraVng
hips),
the
music
inspired
a
youth
rebellion
against
the
moral
strictures
of
middle
class
society
Elvis
Presley
in
concert,
1956.
Image
source:
hIp://www.britannica.com/blogs/2011/01/taking-­‐care-­‐of-­‐business-­‐elvis-­‐
presley-­‐picture-­‐of-­‐the-­‐day/

34. America
in
the
1950s
Hollywood
icons
like
James
Dean
similarly
expressed
rebellion
against
the
normaVve
ideal
of
the
flannel-­‐
suited
“organizaVon
man”
James
Dean,
Rebel
without
a
Cause,
1955
James
Dean,
in
Rebel
without
a
Cause,
1955
Image
source:
hIp://www.doctormacro.com/movie%20star%20pages/Dean,%20James-­‐Annex.htm

35. Counter
Culture
The
true
“rock
stars”
of
the
1950’s
counter
culture
were
the
Beat
poets
Image
source:
hIp://pacificastatueproject.org/2011/03/the-­‐1950s-­‐counterculture-­‐is-­‐born-­‐in-­‐san-­‐
francisco/

36. Counter
Culture
The
Beat
poets
rebelled
against
the
arms
race,
consumerism,
government
censorship,
and
the
conformity
of
American
culture
“As
Life
magazine
put
it,
the
Beats
were
“against
virtually
every
aspect
of
current
American
Society:
Mom,.
Dad,
PoliVcs,
Marriage,
the
Savings
Bank
.
.
.
to
say
nothing
of
the
AutomaVc
Dishwasher,
the
cellophane-­‐wrapped
Soda
Cracker,
the
Split-­‐level
House
and
the
.
.
.
H-­‐
bomb.”
Cited
in
Erika
Doss,
TwenVeth
Century
American
Art,
p.
149
Gregory
Corso,
Allen
Ginsberg,
William
Burroughs,
MareOa
Greer
at
Opening
of
Timothy
Leary's
Media8on
Center,
Hudson
Street,
February
15,
1967
Vintage
gela8n
silver
print,
printed
1967
Steven
Kasher
Gallery

37. America
in
the
1950s
They
explored
alternaVve
lifestyle,
hallucinatory
drugs,
and
sexual
freedom
Richard
Avedon,
Peter
Orlovsky
and
Allen
Ginsberg,
New
York
City,
December
30,
1963.
Image
source:
hIp://www.gagosian.com/exhibiVons/richard-­‐avedon-­‐-­‐may-­‐04-­‐2012/exhibiVon-­‐images

38. America
in
the
1950s
The
so-­‐called
“Beatniks”
of
the
1950s
were
the
predecessors
of
the
Hippies
of
the
1960s
Image
source:
hIp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatnik

39. Counter
Culture
One
of
the
landmark’s
of
the
Beat
Poet
movement
was
Alan
Ginsberg’s
Howl
–
a
poem
that
embraced
taboo
topics
such
as
drugs
and
homosexuality
Allan
Ginsburg,
Howl,
1956

40. Counter
Culture
“In
an
age
plagued
by
intolerance,
"Howl"
(1956)
was
both
a
desperate
plea
for
humanity
and
a
song
of
liberaVon
from
that
intolerant
society.
Ginsberg’s
use
of
a
griIy
vernacular
and
an
improvisaVonal
rhythmical
style
created
a
poetry
which
seemed
haphazard
and
amateur
to
many
of
the
tradiVonal
poets
of
the
Vme.
In
"Howl"
and
his
other
poems,
however,
one
could
hear
a
true
voice
of
the
Vme,
unencumbered
by
what
the
Beats
saw
as
outdated
forms
and
meaningless
grammaVcal
rules.”
hIp://www.pbs.org/wnet/
americanmasters/database/
ginsberg_a.html
Allan
Ginsburg,
Howl,
1956

41. Counter
Culture
Jack
Kerouac’s
On
The
Road
was
about
a
cross-­‐country
road
trip
that
he
wrote
in
three
weeks
Jack
Kerouac,
On
the
Road,
1951

42. Counter
Culture
“The
book
was
.
.
.
completed
-­‐-­‐
from
start
to
finish
-­‐-­‐
in
only
three
weeks.
And
he
used
just
one
long,
scrolled
piece
of
paper,
improvising
endlessly,
just
like
a
jazz
musician
caught
up
in
the
excitement
of
spontaneous
creaVon.”
hIp://www.npr.org/programs/
morning/features/patc/ontheroad/
#media
Original
manuscript
of
Jack
Kerouac’s
On
The
Road
Kerouac
with
the
manuscript
to
On
The
Road
Image
source:
Image
source:
hIp://www.amazon.com/Road-­‐50th-­‐Anniversary-­‐Jack-­‐Kerouac/dp/0143142739
hIp://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/dec/02/jack-­‐
kerouac-­‐road-­‐birmingham

43. “This
was
really
an
aIack
on
the
whole
wriVng
process.
No
"pages"
just
wriVng
in
a
pure
and
thoughtless
approach.”
hIp://maIhewlangley.com/blog/archive/
2007_08_01_index.html
Original
manuscript
of
Jack
Kerouac’s
On
The
Road,
1957
Image
source:
hIp://maIhewlangley.com/blog/archive/2007_08_01_index.html

44. Counter
Culture
The
photography
of
Robert
Frank
represents
a
pictorial
correlate
to
the
“artlessness”
and
griIy
subject
maIer
of
the
beat
poets
Robert
Frank,
The
Americans,
1958

45. Counter
Culture
“Jack
Kerouac's
preface
to
the
original
American
ediVon
lauded
Frank's
ability
to
suck
"a
sad
poem
right
out
of
America
onto
film,"
and
Kerouac
ranked
Frank
not
among
other
photographers
but
"among
the
tragic
poets
of
the
world.”
Newsweek
Robert
Frank,
Poli8cal
Rally,
Chicago,
1956
From
the
Americans,
1958
Metropolitan
Museum

46. Counter
Culture
Using
an
“artless”
street
photography
approach,
Frank
presented
an
un-­‐
romanVcized
image
of
what
he
considered
to
be
the
“real”
America
of
the
1950’s
Robert
Frank,
Parade
-­‐-­‐
Hoboken,
New
Jersey
From
the
Americans,
1958

47. “Frank
published
his
book
when
the
cold
war
was
at
its
height,
when
the
civil-­‐rights
movement
was
in
its
infancy
and
when
people
worried
about
things
such
as
juvenile
delinquency
and
the
bomb,
but
for
the
most
part
the
country
was
sunk
in
a
complacent
prosperity.
In
that
atmosphere,
"The
Americans"
looked
like
a
slap
in
the
face.
Its
subjects
did
not
look
happy—there
are
only
a
couple
of
smiling
faces
in
the
whole
book.
More
o_en
than
not,
they
looked
pensive,
distracted,
suspicious—even
angry.”
Newsweek
Robert
Frank,
Hoboken
From
the
Americans,
1958

48. “The
shot
of
a
New
Orleans
streetcar,
with
white
people
up
front
and
African-­‐Americans
in
the
back,
perfectly
captured
the
naVon's
racial
divide.”
Newsweek
Robert
Frank,
New
Orleans
Trolley
From
the
Americans,
1958

49. Counter
Culture
 Artlessness
 Embrace
of
the
“commonplace,”
the
“ordinary,”
“vulgarity”
Original
manuscript
of
Jack
Kerouac’s
On
The
Road
Image
source:
hIp://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/dec/02/jack-­‐
kerouac-­‐road-­‐birmingham
Robert
Frank,
New
Orleans
Trolley
From
the
Americans,
1958