Untitled (crowd watching golfers) c. 1950

This photograph, of unknown date by Robert Burian, is made using the traditional chemical process of film photography. As a medium, photography occupies an interesting space between art and industry. The photographer, like an artisan, exercises skill and judgment in composing the image. But the production of the photograph also relies on an industrial system: the mass manufacture of cameras, lenses, and film stock. The resultant image offers a window into a specific time and place. Here, the photo captures a crowd watching golfers, perhaps at a professional tournament. The image seems to freeze a moment in time, yet consider the labor embedded within this image. From the manufacturing of the film itself, to the labor of the workers on the green, to the consumers of the sport, all are interconnected. Photography, like many crafts, can offer rich insights into the social and economic structures of its time.