Untitled (photograph of "Emancipation": portrait of older man with beard) c. 1940

Paul Gittings, sometime in the twentieth century, created this photographic portrait, titled "Emancipation", of an older bearded man. The concept of "emancipation" carries heavy social and political weight, particularly in the context of American history. In the US, the word is most strongly associated with the freeing of enslaved African Americans. Looking at the image, we may wonder whether it might be a portrait of a man who had been formerly enslaved. However, emancipation can also refer to freedom from any form of oppression or restriction. The sitter’s full beard, the source of which at different historical moments might have been associated with either wealth or poverty, could signify a rejection of societal norms. To truly understand this photograph, we would need to know more about Gittings, his sitters, and the cultural climate in which he worked. Researching photographic archives and social histories can shed light on the public role of portraiture and the politics of imagery. Ultimately, art is contingent on its social and institutional context.