Untitled (mother with one-year old daughter and new birthday toys on lawn) c. 1955

Paul Gittings made this modest black and white photograph of a mother and child with new toys on the lawn, and I find it so intriguing. The photographic print reads a bit like a drawing, with light and dark tones carefully laid down, almost like watercolor washes or charcoal smudges. I keep coming back to the toy horse on wheels. It is rendered in such high detail, and is so light against the background, that it feels like the emotional anchor of the piece, the focal point for the exchange between mother and daughter. I wonder what kind of relationship the artist had to their subjects. Did Gittings have a close relationship with the family, or were they strangers? It reminds me a bit of the work of the photographer Diane Arbus, with its intimate portrayal of everyday life, but also its slightly unnerving quality. Ultimately, this photograph, like all art, is an invitation to look, to question, and to imagine.