Untitled (woman in long lacy dress and fur stole in front of mirror) c. 1940

Paul Gittings made this untitled photograph of a woman in a lacy dress in front of a mirror. Though we don't know when it was made, the image resonates with the mid-20th century’s construction of femininity and identity. The woman's gaze avoids direct contact, instead caught in a reflective loop between herself and her mirror image. The fur stole hints at a particular class status. The composition invites consideration of the relationship between appearance, identity, and the performative aspects of femininity. What does it mean to see yourself and to then perform that self for an imagined audience? What happens when that image circulates publicly? The photograph captures a moment of self-fashioning. It reminds us that identity is not simply found, but actively constructed through choices that are both personal and reflective of broader social expectations.