Untitled (baby leaning against fancy pillow, making face) after 1940

This photograph by Paul Gittings captures a baby in repose, leaning against a fancy pillow and making a face. I can imagine Gittings setting up this shot, carefully arranging the pillow, maybe coaxing the baby into just the right position, waiting for that perfect, fleeting expression. It's so tactile, isn't it? You can almost feel the softness of the pillow, the delicate fabric of the baby's dress. It's like Gittings is saying, "Look at this moment, this tiny human, so full of potential, so wonderfully expressive." It makes me think about other portraitists, like Alice Neel, who captured the raw, unfiltered essence of their sitters. There’s a real connection here, a conversation across time and mediums. We are all trying to capture something real. These photographs are full of ambiguity, open to endless interpretation, reflecting the ever-changing nature of life itself.