Untitled (portrait of little girl with lace on sleeves and collar of dress)v c. 1940

This ‘Untitled (portrait of little girl with lace on sleeves and collar of dress)’ is a photograph by Paul Gittings held at the Harvard Art Museums. Look at this inverted image and how it makes you feel. Isn’t it a little spooky? This kind of photography is all about the interplay between light and shadow, creating something that feels both familiar and a bit unsettling. The texture is smooth, almost ghostly, giving the little girl a kind of ethereal quality. I find myself drawn to the delicate lace detailing on her dress; it's so intricate against the stark contrast of the image, capturing something both fragile and timeless. It reminds me a bit of Diane Arbus's work, where she often explored the unconventional and found beauty in the unexpected, making us question what we consider normal or beautiful. Ultimately, this photograph invites us to see beyond the surface and to find the unexpected in the everyday.