Universal Studios--Universal City, California 1956

Robert Frank shot this photograph, Universal Studios – Universal City, California, at an unknown date, but maybe we can imagine. It's a black and white image that captures a moment, a little bit like a film still, you know? The angle is high, looking down on a guy in a plaid shirt pushing a cart full of shiny props—silverware, dishes, the kind of stuff that screams “movie set.” I wonder what Frank was thinking when he snapped this. Was he drawn to the contrast between the mundane setting and the glittering objects? The ordinariness of a man doing his job, moving these treasures from one place to another. The light is soft, giving everything a hazy, dreamlike quality. It’s like Frank is showing us a behind-the-scenes peek, reminding us that even in the most fantastical worlds, someone's gotta push the cart. It makes you think about the work that goes into creating these illusions. Frank's got a real talent for finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. It's all connected, right?