Untitled (Woman standing in front of record store) c. 1950s

This photo, shot by an anonymous photographer, captures a woman in front of a record store, and it's the kind of image that feels like a found poem. The composition is all about layers and contrasts. The woman stands almost centrally, her figure a soft, solid form against the sharp angles of the window display, and then there's Frank Sinatra! Look at the way the light catches the clock on the wall - it's frozen in time, adding to the surreal, dreamlike quality. The black and white palette emphasizes the textures, from the shiny surfaces of the records to the soft fabric of the woman's dress. It’s all about the tonal range, the way shades play off each other to create depth and mood. It puts me in mind of the work of artists like Cindy Sherman, where identity and performance blend together, where the surface of things hints at deeper, more elusive narratives. Art, like music, is an ongoing conversation, always riffing on what came before.