Mannequin--Early New York City no number c. 1950

This is Robert Frank's photographic contact sheet, "Mannequin--Early New York City." Frank captured these frames on 35mm film, a format embraced for its portability and capacity to document life candidly. The contact sheet reveals Frank's method: a series of shots exploring a subject, here a mannequin in a shop window and television sets, icons of consumer culture. The stark black and white, a result of the film's chemical processing, enhances the grainy texture. Frank’s direct, unglamorous style challenged the slick, idealized imagery prevalent in commercial photography. The format itself is important. Contact sheets are a utilitarian object, a means of selecting images for printing. By presenting the contact sheet as a finished work, Frank elevates the behind-the-scenes, almost industrial aspect of photography. It is a reminder that every image, even the most seemingly spontaneous, is the result of labor, both artistic and technical. Frank prompts us to consider the full process of image-making, not just the final product.