Untitled (baby sitting up, looking to side) after 1940

This photograph of a baby sitting up and looking to the side was taken by Paul Gittings, but we don't know exactly when. In this dark image, the baby emerges out of the dark ground like a ghost. The photographic process can feel like alchemy. This image really exemplifies it. The artist may have spent some time in the darkroom, trying to conjure up the perfect image. What kind of feeling did they want to emerge from the shadows? What does it mean to capture a baby's fleeting expression? I wonder if the baby was looking at the photographer or at someone else. Perhaps Gittings was trying to evoke a sense of curiosity. Whatever it was, it makes me think of other artists like Sally Mann, who are also interested in capturing the emotional life of children. Artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, and it’s exciting to see them inspiring one another’s creativity.