Children skiing--Sports 1941 - 1945

Curator: This gelatin-silver print, entitled "Children skiing--Sports," was created by Robert Frank sometime between 1941 and 1945. Editor: There’s an almost breathless feeling to it, isn’t there? The wide-open snowy slope, the cluster of small figures tumbling down, like little dark brushstrokes. Curator: Yes, it evokes a certain freedom, doesn’t it? Looking at this image through the lens of the 1940s, during the Second World War, a seemingly simple scene of children enjoying winter sports becomes a potent image about the innocence that can endure amidst conflict. Editor: And materially speaking, the contrast is striking. The crispness of the snow itself versus the coarser grain of the buildings in the background – almost as if there’s been an effort made to isolate or highlight the moment of the children's enjoyment against the reality of the era. Curator: Absolutely. Frank’s choice of the gelatin-silver print allows for such strong contrasts. His interest in capturing unadorned realities—evident even in his later, more famous works—begins to surface here. We can see in his documentary style a focus on capturing social experiences rather than staging artful scenes. It also touches upon social class since not everyone had access to leisurely ski trips during that period. Editor: The starkness really drives home how mediated experiences were during that era; the availability of leisure was inherently tied to socio-economic constraints. Think about what photographic supplies and the skis themselves might have represented in terms of resources and availability. Even winter itself—was that accessible for the many, or the privileged few? Curator: That's a valuable consideration. Ultimately, this seemingly straightforward scene encapsulates a much larger historical context regarding access and social dynamics that played out even within simple leisure activities. Editor: A poignant reminder that even playful moments are woven into the fabric of history and materiality. Curator: Indeed. It’s about the lens through which we understand the making and seeing of these captured realities.