Children playing, Caerau, Wales 1953

Robert Frank shot this photograph, "Children Playing, Caerau, Wales", sometime in the mid-20th century, with his trusty camera. Look at how the grainy black and white tones render the landscape almost abstract. The texture of the scene is palpable; you can almost feel the gritty earth under your feet. The overcast sky adds a layer of melancholy. But the real story here is in the contrast between the bleak industrial backdrop and the kids at play, their sticks stand in for bows and arrows. Frank seems to capture a sense of resilience, of joy found in unexpected places. It reminds me a little of some of the early social documentary photography of the depression era, but with more ambiguity, more of a poetic sensibility. Like, what does childhood look like here, set against the industrial? It’s a picture that asks more questions than it answers, and that’s what keeps me coming back to it.