Andrea as infant II 1954

Robert Frank’s photographic contact sheet, *Andrea as infant II,* is a work about time, and the labor involved in capturing a moment. He used a handheld 35mm Leica camera, a tool prized for its portability. This contact sheet shows us the raw process behind Frank’s iconic images. The many exposures represent not only the moments when the shutter clicked, but also the time spent developing film in the darkroom. The artist’s selection process is exposed to our view. Frank has marked a few frames in red grease pencil – gestures that are so human, so analog. Consider the contrast of the intimate scene of mother and child, versus the mechanical nature of the medium, and the artist's process of documentation and selection. Ultimately, *Andrea as infant II* invites us to consider the labor of image-making itself. It is about time, selection, and the decisive act of framing, reminding us that even the most candid photograph is the result of a process.