Untitled (portrait of girl with dark curly hair) c. 1950

This untitled portrait of a girl with dark curly hair was made by Paul Gittings, with dimensions of 25.4 x 20.32 cm. Gittings, a portrait photographer, likely produced this work in his Houston, Texas studio, somewhere between the 1920s and the 1960s. The image speaks to the rise of commercial photography studios that marketed themselves to upper and middle-class families who wanted to preserve a sentimental record of their lives. Here, the girl's pose is carefully staged and lit, presenting her as a vision of youthful innocence. The bows in her hair and frilly dress reinforce this image. As an art historian, I'm interested in understanding how photography has been used to construct and reinforce social norms. Research into the archives of commercial photography studios like Gittings' could provide further insight into the ways that images have shaped our understanding of childhood, family, and identity. The meaning of art is contingent on social and institutional context.