Untitled (portrait of girl in lacy dress with cat in lap)v c. 1955

This photographic negative by Paul Gittings captures a young girl in a lacy dress holding a cat. The photograph's impact comes from the interplay between the subject and the photographic process. Gittings likely used a large format camera. The act of posing, the long exposure time, and the development of the negative are all crucial steps. The material of the photographic emulsion itself, its sensitivity to light, and the darkroom alchemy transforms the scene into this haunting image. In a commercial studio like the one operated by Gittings, the photograph represents a convergence of skilled labor, from the photographer and their assistants to the textile workers who produced the lace and the dressmakers who assembled it. The image captures a specific moment in time, but it also hints at the broader social and economic context of its making, the labor and class involved in the production process. By considering these aspects, we can appreciate the photograph not only as a portrait but also as a material object embedded in a web of social relations.