New York City 3 1957 - 1958

Robert Frank made this photographic contact sheet, New York City 3, using a 35mm Leica camera, sometime in the mid-20th century. It gives us a privileged view into the artistic process. Frank’s uncropped arrangement reveals a sequence of images of the artist Red Grooms and Mimi Gross wearing costumes in front of a mural of New York City. The contact sheet allows us to explore Frank’s critical gaze on American society. We are privy to a sense of the artist's way of seeing, his wandering, his editing, and his selection, all of which become critical for understanding the art itself. The images depict New York City’s street life, construction, and art scene. How did this imagery reflect or challenge the social structures of its time? Was it self-consciously conservative or progressive? Did it critique the institutions of art? To fully understand Frank’s work, scholars might explore historical archives. They might study his personal papers and published books, or conduct oral history interviews. By examining the social and institutional context, we can better appreciate the significance of Frank's contribution to 20th-century photography.