Untitled (father in suit seated with son on edge of sofa) c. 1940

Here, in the Harvard Art Museums is Paul Gittings’ photographic image of a father in a suit seated with his son on the edge of a sofa. It's an image in tonal reverse, like a ghostly apparition. I wonder, what was it like to be Gittings as he stood behind the camera? Perhaps he was thinking about his own father, or his hopes for his children. The father in the suit has a hand placed protectively on his son's leg, a gesture of care and connection. The boy looks straight at us, his gaze both innocent and knowing. I want to know their story. The photograph is a portal into a specific time and place, but it also speaks to universal themes of family, identity, and legacy. Photographs like this offer a way of seeing and thinking about the world, inviting us to reflect on our own relationships and experiences. Just as painters use color and brushstrokes to convey emotion, so too does the photographer use light and shadow to capture the essence of a moment.