Blind couple--Early New York City no number 1953 - 1954

Editor: This is "Blind couple--Early New York City no number" by Robert Frank, created between 1953 and 1954. It’s a gelatin-silver print showing multiple frames from a film strip. It strikes me as almost documentary, offering raw, unvarnished slices of life. What do you see in this piece, considering its historical context? Curator: The decision to present the images as strips is critical. The filmstrip format disrupts the myth of the decisive moment often attributed to photographers like Cartier-Bresson, a popular name at that time. Instead, we are offered multiple perspectives, almost a meditation, on these individuals. Editor: Meditation is a great word for it. Could this almost be Frank commenting on the social landscape of 1950s New York? Curator: Precisely! Consider the period – post-war America, with its complex narratives of prosperity and inequality. Frank, an outsider himself, presents these everyday scenes, capturing subtleties that might be easily overlooked. His work really challenged the idealized images of America that were pervasive at the time. Editor: It seems almost critical. Was that Frank’s intent? Curator: "Intent" is always a tricky thing to pinpoint. But he positioned his camera deliberately. And these street photographs weren’t exactly celebrated during their first showings, which makes them even more crucial to study. Consider who was represented, and how that contrasted against the images produced *for* the American mainstream. It shows how documentary images become potent instruments when museums and galleries acquire them. Editor: I see what you mean about power, because seeing the whole strips changes the narrative entirely. The seemingly casual nature of his subjects really makes a statement. Thank you! Curator: And thank you, for helping me rethink about these photographic archive practices.