Untitled (portrait of woman in floral dress and hat with lace and flowers) after 1940

Here is Paul Gittings’s black and white portrait, taken with a camera, of a woman wearing a floral dress and hat. I imagine Gittings holding his breath, clicking the shutter, capturing light and shadow. He must have been trying to catch the essence of this woman, with her coy smile and upward gaze. What a delicate dance between photographer and subject! Her face is soft, subtly shadowed. It is as if the light is caressing her cheek. Gittings’s use of monochrome tones—the deep blacks of her curls and the light greys of her skin—creates a scene that is both classic and timeless. The textures are lush, from the lace on her hat to the flowers blooming from the fabric of her dress. Her upward gaze gives her a kind of hopeful attitude. Is she looking to the future? I see echoes of classic Hollywood portraits, but with an added layer of personal expression.