Untitled (boy slouched on sofa with fist to chin) c. 1955

Paul Gittings made this untitled photograph of a boy on a sofa sometime in the twentieth century. Gittings specialized in portraiture, and so we must consider the public role of photographic portraits in this period. Photography was, of course, once the newest medium, and institutions have long determined to what extent it is considered 'art.' There's a fascinating tension here: on the one hand, this image is clearly staged, and made by a commercial photographer. And yet, its composition is open to interpretation. Is the boy simply pensive, or is his pose conveying a certain social alienation? Could he be of a particular class? To answer these questions, it's essential to engage in archival research on mid-century photographic studios and their clientele. Only by understanding the social context of this portrait can we begin to understand its historical meaning.