Untitled (young man in herringbone suit seated in leather chair) after 1940

This silver gelatin print by Paul Gittings captures a young man in a herringbone suit seated in a leather chair. The very act of portrait photography involves complex chemical processes. Beyond the darkroom, the textile and furniture speak volumes about class and aspiration. Herringbone, with its distinctive V-shaped weave, is a labor-intensive pattern, traditionally woven on a loom. A tailored suit like this demanded skilled labor: cutting, sewing, pressing, and fitting, often done by hand in smaller shops. The leather chair, too, indicates a certain level of affluence, given the cost of the material and the work required to prepare it for furniture making. These details aren't just window dressing; they're integral to the image's meaning. Gittings has not only captured a likeness, but also a sense of social identity. Paying attention to the materials, manufacture, and context allows us to move beyond superficial aesthetics and engage with the underlying narratives of labor, production, and social status that are woven into the fabric of the image itself.