Men crossing street--Los Angeles 1955

Curator: This gelatin silver print, "Men crossing street--Los Angeles" by Robert Frank, was created in 1955, during a pivotal period for street photography. Editor: My first thought? Disorientation. The photograph is grainy and feels off-kilter. The figures in the foreground partially obscure our view, making me feel like an accidental passerby. Curator: Frank often embraced this type of raw, immediate aesthetic, deliberately moving away from the polished look that was more typical. There’s an immediacy, and a grit here – but look closer and the men in view carry so much more. Their positioning, especially that one man walking in the opposite direction in a paler outfit, really speaks to the era, its values and concerns… Editor: The photographic process is key here. Frank's choice of a gelatin silver print allowed him to capture detail but also gives it this almost journalistic, reportage feel. It's a democratic medium, capable of being mass-produced and distributed widely, aligning with the subject matter of everyday life. He clearly went in close with minimal equipment. We can feel the energy of the street! Curator: Precisely. He sought authenticity. Note how the backs of the figures dominate the foreground. In effect, they’re blocking *us* the viewers, just as much as they might have been obscuring Frank himself on the street. This compositional choice almost casts us as voyeurs…what do you think that means? Editor: Perhaps a visual commentary on the nature of observation, or the constraints within modern city living at the time? But think of the physical process! Frank captured these images traveling cross country—laboring and refining in his darkroom! Consider the chemicals, the paper… It grounds this picture, this fleeting moment, in a tangible reality, reflecting on mass labor alongside its symbolism. Curator: A fantastic point. Consider too the symbolic weight of black and white versus color—it's not just about documenting, it's about distillation, and framing things symbolically for broader ideas about modernity. He is tapping into deeper fears and uncertainties about race, progress, the American Dream even, right at that mid-century apex. Editor: Indeed, that the print exists means we can share it, critique it, see it, change it with the times...and maybe help inform people today, and the coming days. Curator: Absolutely. "Men crossing street—Los Angeles" shows just how complex layers of history can exist within even the most mundane seeming photographs.