Beverly Hills Chauffeur 1975

Editor: This gelatin silver print, "Beverly Hills Chauffeur," was taken in 1975 by Anthony Friedkin. I'm struck by the glossy sheen of the car and how it seems to encase the driver, creating a sense of both luxury and confinement. What catches your eye? Curator: Well, let's consider the means of production, first. Gelatin silver printing was the dominant photographic process then. This image isn't just *of* a chauffeur; it's made *by* specific material and labor practices embedded in the economics of photography and service in Beverly Hills. How does the interplay of light on the car's surface speak to that? Editor: It highlights the flawless finish, the almost unreal gleam of the vehicle, which seems crucial to the performance of wealth that the chauffeur facilitates. The labor needed to keep it that pristine is definitely present in that sheen. Curator: Precisely! We see here the final product of industrial manufacturing - the car - and its maintenance by the chauffeur, both crucial components within the social hierarchy of Beverly Hills. The photographic print itself, a mass-reproducible object, further complicates this relationship to labor. This image exists as documentation and product. Do you see how Friedkin blurs boundaries here? Editor: I see that. So the image is both an artwork, made by Friedkin, and also evidence of other types of labour – both the manufacturing of the car itself, and the labour of the chauffeur. It makes you consider all these other people that go into creating this singular shot. Thanks, I now have a better perspective! Curator: My pleasure! Examining these works from a materialist lens unveils their entanglement with labour and power structures.