Untitled (woman seated in armchair with baby in long dress on lap) c. 1940

Paul Gittings made this gelatin silver print of a woman seated in an armchair with a baby on her lap. While seemingly a simple family portrait, it actually raises questions about the politics of imagery. The absence of a title and date complicates its interpretation, leaving us to consider the possible social conditions that shaped its production. The image may have been commissioned, perhaps reflecting a certain level of social standing, given the presence of middle class furniture. It certainly hints at the cultural norms around motherhood, family, and the role of women in society. To understand this image better, one would have to delve into photographic archives and study family portraiture of the time, to look at Gittings’s work, as well as the socio-economic context, class, and gender roles. The meaning of art is contingent on social and institutional context, and it’s in the historian’s role to highlight these important elements.