Building and Swiss flag--40 Fotos 1941 - 1945

Editor: Here we have Robert Frank’s "Building and Swiss flag—40 Fotos," taken sometime between 1941 and 1945. I’m struck by how this photo uses the natural framing of a tree to showcase this very constructed scene of civic architecture. The Swiss flag sits right in the middle! How do you interpret this particular arrangement? Curator: It’s important to remember the historical context. This photograph was taken during World War II. Switzerland, while neutral, was surrounded by conflict. Images of national symbols took on greater importance during such periods. What might this architectural solidity, framed with nature, suggest about national identity and its perceived resilience? Editor: I suppose the buildings suggest permanence, like the values aren't going anywhere even as war is raging. But the photo is also attributed to Robert Frank, who’s best known for his later, much more critical photographs of American society. Curator: Precisely! Even early in his career, we can see him grappling with these questions of national identity and its visual representation. Note how he's shooting *up* at the flag, imbuing it with a degree of authority and stature through the photographic composition. He is intentionally making the image. But why frame it with the tree like that, drawing attention to artifice, pulling you out of the fantasy he is actively creating by shooting upward at this potent national symbol? Editor: I didn’t really consider how calculated this image might be. I just thought he happened to be walking by when he took the picture, and didn’t reflect much about what that meant for the war going on around it. Curator: Exactly. Think of how images and symbols function to create collective identities and support ideological frameworks. Photography plays a crucial role in this, often in ways that are easily missed. This photo asks: what’s *supposed* to be communicated, and what actually *is* being communicated? Editor: Wow, I’ll never look at seemingly straightforward pictures the same way again.