Untitled (woman in sailor's outfit seated on outdoor bench with three cats all looking to side) c. 1940

Here we have an untitled photograph by Paul Gittings, of unknown date, printed on fiber-based paper. The composition immediately strikes you with its inverted tones, giving it an ethereal quality. A woman dressed in a sailor's uniform is seated on a rustic outdoor bench, surrounded by three cats. The negative image plays with our perception, destabilizing conventional understanding of light and shadow, to question how we perceive reality through images. The arrangement of the subjects creates a triangular form, grounding the composition. This contrasts with the soft-focus background, which flattens the space and creates a dreamlike effect. Consider how the photographic process itself—the manipulation of light, the choice of focus—contributes to the overall meaning of the piece. The reversed tonality invites us to look beyond the surface, challenging our assumptions about the relationship between representation and reality.