Convention hall—Chicago 1956

Curator: Robert Frank’s 1956 photograph, “Convention Hall—Chicago,” offers a compelling glimpse into a moment in American political history. It’s one of many iconic works featured in his seminal book, “The Americans.” Editor: It strikes me immediately as melancholic. A bit austere, almost grim. The figures seem so serious. Are we sure this wasn't a funeral? Curator: Ha! While there's a gravity to it, I read it more as quiet observation. Frank wasn't necessarily making a judgment, but rather capturing a slice of American life. Note how he contrasts these individuals in their almost performative stances of support. They wear campaign buttons for Adlai Stevenson and appear posed yet are in the middle of their natural life. Editor: Absolutely. You can feel the weight of expectation. Consider the socio-political climate—the height of the Cold War, burgeoning civil rights movements. Who is invited, who is excluded? What does Stevenson offer them? I want to also underscore what feels like an exhaustion around participating in politics. Curator: I get that. There's a sense of disillusionment hovering. I think that has much to do with Frank’s genius; he highlights the banal reality amidst all the political fanfare, or at least attempts to. There’s an accessibility to the image—the candid shot of a small piece of city life—that transcends any grand political statement, despite its theme. The composition also really emphasizes this as, if we’re being honest, they're positioned in front of a hilariously placed Hilton advertisement. Editor: The humor and irony is indeed hard to miss. You’re right, he lets the image speak, layers and contradictions intact. Looking at this now, I wonder about what kind of future they imagined—were they invested or did they carry a premonition that the weight of politics would bear down on their dreams? Curator: The beautiful part of Frank's photography is that it’s never trying to provide the definitive answer. The photograph is a portal to contemplate such questions. That's its resonance. Editor: Absolutely, a poignant and, strangely, universal image despite its specific time and place. Thank you, Robert Frank, for raising our collective political consciousness.