Untitled (little girl, grinning, seated with doll on sofa) c. 1955

This is an untitled photograph by Paul Gittings showing a young girl smiling next to her doll. Although undated, the image’s visual codes such as the girl’s haircut and dress point towards a moment in the mid-twentieth century. It evokes familiar images of childhood innocence. But let’s consider the social conditions in which this image might have been made and received. Gittings was a commercial photographer who specialized in portraiture and was known for photographing debutantes and other members of high society. We might consider this image as part of that project. Perhaps it reveals something of the photographer’s views on the relationship between childhood, class, and gender. As historians, we can use archival sources and contextual research to consider the role of photography in constructing social identities, to reflect on the meaning of childhood, and to challenge existing social norms.