The Last Frame: An Archival Countdown

on the happy accident

As a Rights and Images Assistant I have directly handled, digitized, and archived mass amounts of negatives, transparencies, and photographic prints. Over time, I noticed an oddity with the institution’s earlier photographs: the happy accident. These accidents, sometimes referred to as “wasted” or “extra” frames, occur when photographers manually advance their Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera upon loading film and finishing a roll in order to wind it back into the cartridge. They can also be found in frames taken between photo shoots—separating several different events, performances, and exhibitions on a single roll as a way to conserve resources.

Because these frames were rarely meant to be seen by anyone but the photographer, they offer a very intimate sense of the cultural and social context of the MCA at any given time, dating back to the institution’s opening in 1967. I’ve come across some extremely bizarre and wonderful images that allude to the photographer’s identity, as well as the objects and places around them. Depending on the photographer’s habits and preferences, these frames could have been entirely exposed to light upon loading. Other times, subject matter featured whatever the camera was incidentally pointed at (where happy accidents are plentiful) or whatever the photographer chose to photograph until the counter read “01.” These moments are most frequent toward the end of the roll, where a photographer can really value or discard their last frame.