Cables, NBC TV studio--Burbank, California c. 1955 - 1956

"Cables, NBC TV studio--Burbank, California" is a black and white photograph taken by American photographer Robert Frank around 1955-1956. The image captures the tangled mess of cables in a television studio, a stark contrast to the polished world of broadcast television. The photograph is characteristic of Frank’s "The Americans," a collection of images that captured the gritty reality of American life in the 1950s. Frank’s candid approach and focus on everyday details challenged the traditional view of American culture, revealing the hidden complexities and contradictions of the postwar era. The photograph's composition, with its focus on the tangled mass of cables in the foreground and the blurred figures in the background, creates a sense of disorientation and chaos. The image is a powerful reminder of the unseen infrastructure that underpins our modern world.