Guggenheim 6/Americans 55--Beaufort, South Carolina 1955

Robert Frank made this contact sheet in 1955, during his road trip across America, using a 35mm Leica camera and black and white film. The material qualities of the photographic print—its tonality, grain, and contrast—influence our perception and understanding of the images. The filmstrip format presents a sequence of frames, offering glimpses into Frank’s photographic process and decision-making as he captured scenes of everyday life. Each frame contains a wealth of information, hinting at stories beyond the surface. Frank's methodology, traveling across America and capturing images, reflects a sense of freedom, exploration, and a desire to document the nuances of American society. But this project was funded by a Guggenheim Fellowship, with conditions attached. The work of photography, from shooting to developing, printing, and editing, required technical skill, manual labor, and a critical perspective on society. Ultimately, recognizing the intrinsic relationship between materials, making, and context encourages us to look beyond traditional art distinctions and recognize photography's capacity to reveal intricate layers of meaning about work, place, and identity.