Family and Uribe--Tappan, New York no number 1954

Robert Frank made this work, "Family and Uribe," out of gelatin silver on paper. This isn't just a photograph; it's a collection of frames from a film strip, raw and uncut. Frank was known for capturing everyday life, and you can see that here in the different scenes: a family, a moment in nature, and a glimpse into a social gathering. Silver gelatin prints like this one were the workhorse of mid-century photography, allowing for relatively quick and inexpensive reproduction of images, which democratized the medium. The dark, grainy quality of the film adds to the feeling of immediacy, like a snapshot grabbed on the go. By showing us the film strip itself, Frank is also reminding us of the mechanics behind the image, the labor and the industrial processes that made photography such a powerful tool for documenting the world around us. It bridges the gap between fine art and the everyday, inviting us to consider the stories embedded in these fragments of life.