Untitled (baby in high chair, hand in cup) c. 1955

This photograph by Paul Gittings captures a baby in a high chair, grasping a cup. The image's black and white materiality results from the chemical processes of film photography. Consider the making of this image, the time it took to set up the shot, the skill involved in capturing the fleeting moment of childhood. The photograph becomes an object of labor, not just for the photographer, but for the unseen workers who manufactured the film, the camera, and the developing chemicals. It makes one think of the complex web of production that underlies even the simplest image. Beyond the photographic process, the image speaks to broader social contexts of labor, class, and consumption. The high chair itself is a product of industrial manufacturing, designed to ease the labor of childcare. The baby's cup, likely made of plastic or metal, is another mass-produced object, emblematic of a consumer culture. By focusing on the materiality and making of this photograph, we can see how it reflects broader social and economic forces, challenging the traditional divide between fine art and everyday life.