Page, CBS TV studio--Burbank, California c. 1955 - 1956

Editor: Robert Frank's gelatin silver print, "Page, CBS TV studio--Burbank, California," circa 1955-1956, feels almost staged. The lone figure looks rather alienated. What layers am I missing here? Curator: It's precisely that feeling of alienation you’re picking up on that Frank was so adept at capturing. Think about the social and political climate of the mid-1950s. It was a period of immense societal pressure to conform, right? Now, consider television, and CBS specifically, as a powerful engine of that conformity. Editor: Right, almost a propaganda machine… Curator: Precisely. And here we have this solitary "page," a cog in that machine, isolated against this vast backdrop. There's a tension between the individual and the immense media apparatus. The title places him in a very specific geography, the Burbank studio—highlighting the industry’s geographic centralization and its influence. Editor: So it's a commentary on the individual within a controlling system? The black and white really accentuates that starkness. Curator: Absolutely. Think, too, about the racial politics of the era and who had access to these roles, or what expectations would surround the man. His uniform is more than just clothing; it’s an indication of class and conformity, right? What does the gaze of this man convey to you? Editor: I see a forced detachment. It makes me think of gender and labor and who profits in these structures, who can succeed. The artist, the corporations or the workers in media… Maybe all three are stuck in different ways. I hadn't thought about it that way initially. Curator: It’s about deconstructing those power structures to understand how identities and roles are performed and negotiated within broader socio-political landscapes. We can almost hear the noise of that broadcast now!