Untitled (mother standing in yard with two boys and little girl, children dressed in white) after 1940

This photograph of a mother and children, was made by Paul Gittings, we don’t know when exactly. The whole scene feels full of light, even though it’s black and white. It's like Gittings was painting with light, capturing the softness of the day. I love how the textures play out here. Look at the mother’s dress. It's got this floral pattern that almost vibrates against the stark white of the children's clothing. And then there's the background, all these blurred trees. It’s like Gittings is saying, “Hey, look at this moment, but also, feel the blur of time around it.” There's something about the way the children are arranged, too, almost like a little wall between the mother and the world. I think of someone like Diane Arbus. Both photographers share that slightly unsettling feeling of looking at an everyday scene that's just a little bit off. It’s a reminder that even the most familiar images can hold a strange kind of beauty.