Untitled (girl with dolls at doorway to playhouse) after 1940

This black and white photograph by Paul Gittings captures a girl with dolls at the doorway to a playhouse, using light and shadow to invite the viewer into a personal moment. The composition is striking, isn't it? The stark contrast between the dark playhouse and the lighter surroundings creates a kind of stage, spotlighting the girl and her dolls. There’s a beautiful sense of depth, almost like a theater set, with layers of reality and imagination overlapping. I can't help but notice the doll sitting on the grass. It's so detailed, it almost feels more real than the playhouse itself. This photograph plays with scale and perspective, making you question what's real and what's imagined. It’s a reminder that art, like childhood, is about constructing our own worlds, brick by brick, dream by dream. It makes me think of Diane Arbus, who also captured the extraordinary in the ordinary, finding beauty in the everyday and the slightly off-kilter.