Early New York City no number 1948 - 1962

Robert Frank made this photographic contact sheet, *Early New York City no number*, without a date, in black and white. Looking at this sheet makes me think about the artist wandering around New York City, snapping pictures with their camera. Click, click, click, capturing glimpses of everyday life. Then, back in the darkroom, they lay the negatives on paper and expose them to light, revealing these small windows into the world. The images themselves are like little stories, fragments of a larger narrative. We see people, cars, buildings, and street scenes, all frozen in time. Some of the frames are upside down, or the exposure is off, giving the sheet a sense of imperfection, a kind of raw honesty. It’s like looking at the artist’s sketchbook, a collection of ideas and impressions.