Untitled (photograph of two girls in matching dresses holding tall flowers) c. 1940

This photographic print of two girls in matching dresses holding tall flowers was made by Paul Gittings using gelatin silver print. The gelatin silver process, dominant for over a century, involves coating paper with light-sensitive silver halide crystals suspended in gelatin. When exposed to light, these crystals form a latent image, which is then developed into a visible photograph. This labor-intensive process was a cornerstone of commercial photography, balancing technical precision with artistic expression. Looking at the picture, the gelatin silver print emphasizes the textures of the dresses and the delicate forms of the flowers, adding to the charm of the scene. The choice of gelatin silver printing speaks to a particular moment in the history of photography, when the medium was both art and industry. It reminds us that all photographs are not just images, but objects imbued with social and economic meanings.