Man buying flowers, Paris 1951

Robert Frank captured this image, "Man buying flowers, Paris," using gelatin silver print, a photographic process widely used for its tonal range. In this image, the very qualities of the gelatin silver process contribute to the photograph's solemn mood, enhancing its commentary on labor and commerce. The photograph's textures and tones contribute to its overall effect, with the flowers and pavement standing out. Frank's choice of gelatin silver print, with its established history in photojournalism, subtly underscores the image’s social context and place within the history of photography, but also within the social dynamics of mid-century Paris. The image is also about a transaction, one that connects the classes of Parisian society. Paying attention to these details of material and making enables us to recognize the artistic decisions that elevate a documentary photograph into a thoughtful observation of society.