Jehovah's Witness 3A 1958

Robert Frank made this photographic work, Jehovah's Witness 3A, using black and white film. The very nature of photography involves a complex interplay between the photographer, the equipment, and the subject. In this case, we see strips of negatives, the raw material from which photographs are printed. Frank's choice of film and his development process greatly influence the appearance of the images. The high contrast and grainy texture evident in the final print speak to the social context of the work. This aesthetic marked a departure from the slick, commercial photography that dominated the era. Instead, Frank embraced a more raw and immediate style. Consider the labor involved: from the manufacturing of the film itself, to Frank's act of capturing these moments, to the darkroom processes required to bring these images to life. By presenting the film strips themselves, Frank invites us to consider these processes, challenging the idea of the photograph as a purely objective record. The materiality and making are thus integral to understanding Frank's perspective on American society.