Guggenheim 347--Esso oil refinery, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 1955

Robert Frank made this photographic work, “Guggenheim 347--Esso oil refinery, Baton Rouge, Louisiana,” using a 35mm camera and black and white film. The images are presented as a contact sheet, offering a glimpse into Frank’s photographic process: a sequence of frames, complete with edge markings and frame numbers, that captures the Esso oil refinery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The material qualities of photography itself—grain, contrast, and the tonal range—influence the appearance of the artwork. The images document the materiality of the industrial landscape, the workers who are the human cogs of its operation, and its relationship to energy production and consumption, raising questions about labor, class, and the impact of industry on society. Frank's perspective on this industrial complex challenges traditional distinctions between documentary photography and fine art.