Untitled (mother seated with baby on lap in chair, little boy standing on chair to her side) after 1940

This photograph of a mother and her children was made by Paul Gittings using black and white film. Photography, since its invention, has been associated with industry and consumption. Unlike painting or sculpture, it is easily and cheaply reproduced, and easily disseminated. The proliferation of cameras meant that portraits could be commissioned by a much wider range of people, in turn changing the nature of what a portrait was. No longer a mark of great wealth, but an accessible image of familial bonding. This image is also interesting because of the labour it does not show, as the family is in their domestic interior. The implicit work of homemaking, and childcare. While portraiture is often seen as ‘fine art’ we shouldn’t forget the social and economic context that enables this form of image making. By looking at how materials and processes intersect with cultural values, we can understand the broader meaning of this work.