Untitled (studio portrait of girl in patterned shirt with gun in holster) 1954

This is an undated studio portrait of a girl in a patterned shirt with a toy gun in a holster, by Paul Gittings. The photographic process is here revealed as a series of material transformations. Looking at this image I’m struck by the reversal of tones, a photographic negative revealing the usually hidden stages of image making. The girl’s hair and teeth become luminous against a shadowy backdrop. The gun in its holster adds an ambivalent note to this portrait of youthful innocence. Is it a playful accessory or a symbol of something more complex? The girl herself stands on a plinth, a pose struck between childish confidence and adult performance. I'm reminded of Diane Arbus’s photographs of children, which similarly capture the strange beauty and occasional darkness of childhood. Like Arbus, Gittings seems to be embracing ambiguity, allowing the image to hold multiple, conflicting meanings.