Untitled c. 1949

This photograph was taken by Arthur Ellis, sometime between 1930 and 1960, and it shows a group of kids blowing bubbles. It feels like a moment suspended in time, doesn’t it? Look at the way the light catches the curve of the bubble, warping the faces of the children trapped inside, like figures in an El Greco painting. It's beautiful and strange. The grain of the image, the tonal range from almost pure white to nearly black, gives it a tactile quality, like you could reach out and touch the surface, feel the slickness of the bubble, or the rough wool of the boy’s jacket. That bubble is the key. It transforms the scene, making it a little unreal. The gesture of blowing, and the tension in the boys' cheeks relates to the work of other photographers, like Garry Winogrand. Ultimately, what this photograph is about is something fragile and fleeting, a moment of childhood wonder.