The Weight of Franchise Meat

Orange County, CA: Robt. Cumming, 1971. From an edition of 500. [16]pp; b&w plates. Saddle-stapled in illustrated wraps, 5 x 7 in. Near fine, with light rubbing and toning to wraps.

Bookwork by American conceptual artist Robert Cumming (1943-2021), consisting of b&w photographs of hamburgers from various fast-food chain restaurants. In each, the patty rests on a postal scale, while a card records the price, weight, and other details. A wry work taking aim at the pretensions of fine art photography and gastronomic "value." N.B. Carl's Jr., by our calculations, comes in as the clear per-ounce winner.

Parr & Badger, v2, pp. 146-7.