In 1959, Robert Frank published The Americans, a photographic fingerprint of the United States in all of its political complexity. As the title of this “object of the month” suggests, this photograph was taken in New Orleans in 1955. Frank utilized silver gelatin to produce the image you see here. Frank was fascinated with the question of how order speaks to societally created systems and hierarchies that dictate our choices on a daily basis. While many of these systems of power are left unquestioned, Frank’s photographs opened necessary dialogue during the 1950s and 1960s, a politically charged era in United States history. The order of the figures in this photograph coincides with the hierarchy of power at the time as constructed by both race, gender, and age starting with the left, as White, middle-aged men held the most power. The White man’s gaze is obscured by the reflection on the window, making him just as anonymous as he is untouchable. The White woman looks sternly into the camera, commanding attention and contrasting the looks of uncertainty on the faces of the White boy and the Black man, both unsure for very different reasons. The White girl and the Black woman both fail to meet the gaze of the camera. The windows of the trolley seem to act as a means of confinement both in time and space and in social status and position. I enjoy this photograph because of the gazes that each figure dons. This photograph so perfectly captures these gazes in a manner that emulates how power dynamics influence how figures present themselves as they navigate the world.

 

By Lauryn Dove

Bowdoin Class of 2021