Untitled (portrait of woman in floral dress, laced hat, and fur trimmed cuffs leaning on elbows and holding hanky) after 1940

Here, we have a silver gelatin print by Paul Gittings, of a woman in a floral dress, laced hat, and fur trimmed cuffs. The gray scale palette and stark contrast invite us into a world of textures and surfaces, a world of softness versus hardness. I'm drawn to her fur cuffs, they look so plush! I can only imagine how that soft fur might feel against my skin, like a warm hug on a chilly day. You can see the fur is so fluffed it almost obscures her jewelry. Maybe she was thinking about the fleeting nature of beauty, the ephemeral quality of a perfectly posed moment? Or maybe she was just trying to keep warm and look glamorous at the same time. You wonder about the relationship between the artist and the subject. Was it a conversation, a collaboration, or a silent exchange of glances and gestures? How did they inspire each other, challenge each other, and ultimately create something that transcends their individual perspectives?