Lunch counter--New York City V 1954

Robert Frank shot this film, Lunch Counter--New York City V, using a handheld 35mm camera. Photography, of course, depends on highly industrialized processes – the manufacture of the camera and film, the chemical development, and the printing of the image. Frank chose black and white film to capture the stark reality of mid-century America. Here, he is not so concerned with the aesthetic qualities of the shot, but the narrative created across the film strip. The contact sheet shows the different views of the lunch counter, the rows of empty seats, the reflections on the surfaces, which create meaning within the composition, transforming the ordinary into something more profound. What is shown in the image is social alienation and the repetitive nature of labor. It’s a gritty, unglamorous view of a place where people come to eat, drink, and connect. By focusing on materials, making, and context, we can begin to understand the work’s commentary on American society and its culture of consumption.