Untitled (view of foyer looking up staircase) after 1940

Paul Gittings created this untitled photograph of a foyer and staircase, location and date unknown. Here, the staircase becomes a visual metaphor for social mobility. The carefully arranged rugs and ornate doorway speak to a particular class and set of values. In the United States, where there is an emphasis on equality, displays of wealth like this could be seen as either aspirational or distasteful, depending on one’s point of view. Without further context, it is hard to determine whether this image is intended to celebrate or critique the institutions of wealth and class. Accessing archival materials, such as Gittings’ other photographs and any writings about his artistic intentions, could help us better understand the role of this artwork within its original social context.