Boy Scouts c. 1941

Robert Frank made this photograph of Boy Scouts, and the date is unknown, but the image has that lovely, grainy texture you get with film, like a memory resurfacing. It’s a small picture, almost like a snapshot, and that intimacy pulls you in. The tones range from deep blacks in the foliage to soft grays on the boy’s faces, creating a sense of depth. I keep coming back to the grass in the foreground, slightly out of focus, like a blurred line between us and them. The way the light catches the blades feels almost tactile. Frank’s photograph reminds me a little of August Sander's portraits of German society. Both artists share an interest in the typology of social groups. But where Sander is clinical, Frank is more personal, more like a whisper than a shout. Ultimately, what it all means is open, and maybe that’s the point, to leave room for our own stories.