Untitled (woman in hat and glasses wearing large corsage) c. 1940

This photographic negative by Paul Gittings captures a woman in a hat and glasses, adorned with a large corsage. As a photographic negative, the image before us is only an intermediary step. Photographic negatives like this are made through a complex interplay of chemistry and optics. The process begins with the careful preparation of a light-sensitive emulsion, typically containing silver halide crystals. When exposed to light in the camera, these crystals undergo a chemical change, creating a latent image. This image is then made visible through development, where the exposed silver halide is converted into metallic silver. The choice of materials profoundly influences the photograph's qualities. The silver halide crystals determine the image's sensitivity and grain, while the development process affects contrast and tonality. Light, shadow, and the tonal range across the image are reversed. Understanding the role of materials, and process, encourages us to look beyond the image itself, and to appreciate the ways in which artistic expression relies on the convergence of technology, skill, and material knowledge.