Caerau, Wales 1953

Robert Frank took this photograph in 1953 in Caerau, Wales, using black and white film. The monochrome palette emphasizes the grit and texture of the scene, a sort of visual correlate to the harshness of the miner's life. What strikes me is the subject’s stance – head bowed, focused intently on something in his hands, maybe a cigarette or a small note. The surface of the print itself has a kind of granular quality that echoes the coal dust on the miner’s skin and clothes. Look at the way his coat hangs, heavy and worn. There's a world of weariness in that drape. Frank’s work always makes me think of Walker Evans, especially in their shared dedication to documenting everyday life with such stark honesty. But where Evans is more detached, Frank feels rawer, more personal. Ultimately, it’s the ambiguity that stays with you: this man, this moment, caught between labor and something else, something private.