In short
Claiborne Swanson Frank and husband Frank discuss their book Father and Child, which focuses on intimate stories and photos of accomplished fathers and their relationships with children—arguing there hasn’t been a modern, deep-engagement fatherhood book like it.
Guests/backgrounds
Claiborne Swanson Frank is an author/photographer; Frank is her husband, also an author and photographer. They discuss fatherhood through their own family experience.
Key claims
The book fills a gap: fathers’ love for children is rarely shared despite public acclaim. Fatherhood today is shown through presence, joy, and emotional engagement captured in images.
Notable examples
Fathers selected span cultural fields, including NASCAR’s Jimmy Johnson and NFL’s Eli Manning, plus fathers in design/art, fashion, screenwriting/directing, authorship, and chef work. Advice includes respecting time and “take things lightly and keep smiling.”
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOExploring Modern Fatherhood
0:30 to 2:20
Discussing the unique stories of fathers and their relationships with children.
“I'm here with Claiborne's husband Frank, author and photographer, and we're here to talk about her new book, Father and Child.”
Lessons and Joys of Fatherhood
2:20 to 3:45
Sharing personal insights and advice on being a father.
“What piece of advice has your father given you?”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:07Claiborne Swanson Frank:For these fathers who are wildly accomplished and interesting and leaving their mark, I think what was so inspiring for me was that this part of their story hadn't been shared. They had been written about in magazines and books and highly celebrated, but this very intimate story of, you know, the greatest loves of their lives, their children had never been shared.
0:30I'm Alex Asoulin. I'm here with Claiborne's husband Frank, author and photographer, and we're here to talk about her new book, Father and Child.
0:39Claiborne Swanson Frank:The immediate inspiration that came to me was my father, and then obviously the father of my children, my husband. It was amazing because, like mother and child, when I went to research if there had been anything created like this, there was nothing. There really had never been a book on fathers and children. And beyond being able to tell this story, there had never been a modern story about fatherhood and what it really looks like today. What I loved most about how it represented fatherhood today was this kind of deep engagement with the children and this presence and joy that you can really see and the images and feel within these relationships between the fathers and their kids.
1:24Claiborne Swanson Frank:I wanted to pick fathers that were leaving a mark in this cultural moment, whether it's NASCAR, Jimmy Johnson, or Eli Manning. I chose fathers who were in all different fields, in all different spaces in the world. I wanted the talent and the fathers in the book to be inspiring and to range from design and art to pro athletes, fashion designers, screenwriters, directors, authors, chefs, and to create this really rich tapestry of fathers from all walks of life. And I think for them, this love represents, you know, their legacy.
2:07I just love being a father. I've been a father for just a couple of months now. It really taught me to reprioritize my life. Just that my problems might not be so important compared to raising my child.
2:20Claiborne Swanson Frank:What piece of advice has your father given you? Respect time. So respect time for yourself. Respect the time of others. The time and effort that they put to do something. Acknowledging that is something very important. What's one piece of advice you want to give Raphael? Take things lightly and keep smiling. Because smiling is, you know, the first impression is something very important. It's amazing how that joy, I really see that in you. And children bring that back, you know? It's so interesting. And that pure love, you know? It's so healing. I keep smiling, so I'm giving that as an advice, but also I take it for myself too.
3:03And I really love that. That idea of the smile is something that we really see throughout the pictures of the book.
3:10Claiborne Swanson Frank:Yes. I feel like the emoting of the fathers in Father and Child was unexpected. and to see the way that a child could bring that joy into their father's face and their eyes, it was so beautiful. And the way that the fathers would get lost in that moment in time, and for me to be able to capture those moments was really profound. Another feeling.
3:34Claiborne Swanson Frank:My hope when you open the book is that you take this ride of this kind of journey of love and joy and meaning and that you feel that. And then you hear these stories of these fathers and their experience of fatherhood, which is the same, similar and different, but in the same spirit of your own.
From the publisher
In this episode of Beyond the Cover, Claiborne Swanson Frank takes us beyond the pages of Father and Child, a photographic exploration of modern fatherhood that captures the joy, tenderness, and profound connection between fathers and their children.
For more inspiration, head to assouline.com, where culture meets luxury.
To learn more about Father and Child visit assouline.com/products/lfather-and-child.
