Portfolio by Robert Frank

When Robert Frank came to New York from Zurich in 1947, he brought along a portfolio of 40 photos to help him find work. Steidl recently reissued a facsimile version of Frank's early portfolio, which contains some of his earliest photographs as well as the work of others that he had retouched.

It comes in this plain white envelope.

And then inside is this slim volume. I love the cover.

The images represent Swiss life, both rural and urban, landscapes and people. While the photographs aren't nearly as incredible as those of Frank's later ouevre, the book is an interesting artifact representing the inception of the career of a legend.