Man in office--Butte, Montana 1956

Robert Frank made this gelatin silver print, "Man in office--Butte, Montana," sometime in the middle of the 20th century. This photograph is part of a larger project that tried to capture the feel of the US after the Second World War. Frank’s picture is not a formal portrait but a glimpse into a particular working environment. In that sense, Frank seems to be interested in how institutions and workplaces shape people’s lives. The picture creates meaning through visual codes and historical associations. The bare lightbulb, the simple desk, and the man’s unbuttoned jacket all suggest a no-frills working environment. The picture on the wall shows a man in a suit, perhaps a former president or a local dignitary. Meanwhile, the posters under the table are campaign posters, which might suggest the man's political affiliations. In order to understand this picture better, we might want to look into the history of Butte, Montana. During that period, Butte was a mining town, and understanding its economic structures might give us more insight into the meaning of this picture.