Congressional 4 c. 1954 - 1955

Robert Frank captured this contact sheet, titled ‘Congressional 4,’ using gelatin silver. We see frames of a train carriage where passengers are seated, interspersed with the artist's markings - crosses and circles scrawled over images. These marks—overlaid like ancient runes—prompt questions about choice and rejection, echoing the capriciousness of fate. The cross, an ancient symbol with roots in crucifixion and suffering, contrasts with the circle, a symbol of wholeness and continuity. The presence of these annotations echoes alchemical diagrams, where symbols guide a transformative process. Frank’s contact sheet becomes a map of a personal journey, an attempt to reconcile individual vision with collective experience. This interplay mirrors the way cultural symbols resurface, their meanings reshaped by new contexts.