Untitled (child with fish bowl seated on table, both reflected in glass table top) c. 1940

This photograph by Paul Gittings captures a seated child with a fishbowl, their reflections shimmering on a glass tabletop. Imagine Gittings, patiently arranging the scene, coaxing the child into stillness, chasing the perfect angle of light. Look how the image is composed! The repetition of round forms—the child’s head, the fishbowl, and their reflections—create a sense of depth. The world is not just what it is, but how we see it, and how it mirrors back at us. I can almost feel the weight of the glass, the stillness of the water. This is a quiet, contemplative scene. It invites us to reflect on childhood, fragility, and the way we perceive the world around us, and the way the world perceives us. Like a painter layering colors, Gittings builds up an image of both clarity and shadow, reality and reflection.