Untitled (portrait of little girl in bunny outfit holding stuffed bunny) c. 1940

This photogram at the Harvard Art Museums by Paul Gittings presents a play of light and shadow, giving us a portrait of a young girl in a bunny costume, holding a stuffed bunny. The photographic negative inverts our expectations. The dark tones suggest a dream-like quality, a world where familiar forms are cast in an unfamiliar light. The formal composition divides the frame into distinct zones. The bottom has a fluffy white cloud, a stage upon which the girl stands, and behind her, a smoky gradient suggesting depth and ambiguity. The texture here is paramount. The cloud's rough surface and the girl's fuzzy outfit create a tactile invitation, whilst the background's smooth gradient pushes against this. The girl's symmetrical pose, centered in the frame, suggests an attempt to capture innocence. The bunny ears and stuffed animal allude to themes of childhood, but here the inversion challenges fixed meanings. This photogram offers no singular reading but suggests a field of possibilities for the viewer to explore.