Untitled (portrait of woman in large hat pulled down to cover her right eye, flower on hat) after 1940

This black and white photograph, by Paul Gittings, captures a woman in a large hat. It's a straightforward gelatin silver print, a process that emerged in the late 19th century, which involves coating paper with a light-sensitive emulsion. The material properties of this process lend the photograph its unique tonal range, from the stark whites to the deep blacks, giving a glamorous high contrast look. Consider the social context of the image. Photography in this mode became widespread due to industrial production. This put portraiture within reach of ordinary people, not just the wealthy who could afford painted portraits. The image’s appeal is also tied to its reproducibility. It could be circulated widely in magazines and newspapers. This made celebrity culture possible. So while this may seem a simple image, it really speaks to the democratization of image-making in the modern era, and the role of photographic technologies in shaping social identities. Recognizing these connections, we can move beyond simply looking at the image, and understand the photograph as a cultural artifact.