Subway 9 1955

Robert Frank’s “Subway 9” is a photographic work comprised of images likely captured in the 1950s, using a small-format camera and black and white film. The physical qualities of the work are immediately apparent; the sprocket holes that run along the edges of the film are visible, with the images themselves grainy and high in contrast. Frank's process of rapidly shooting and then selecting images, reveals a great deal about the social context of the time. The subway, a space of transit for the working class, becomes a stage for observing the density of urban life and the quiet desperation of the everyday. The darkroom processes of developing, printing, and editing are also crucial, with Frank making choices about composition, contrast, and sequencing that imbue the images with a sense of immediacy and rawness. By embracing these 'rough' qualities, Frank elevated the act of documentary photography to the level of personal expression, laying bare issues of labor, politics, and consumption for all to see. It is a powerful statement about the human condition and it challenges any conventional divide between fine art and social commentary.