Untitled (studio portrait of girl in riding outfit) c. 1929

This is an undated studio portrait of a girl in riding outfit, by Paul Gittings. The photograph’s power lies in its depiction of gender and class. Consider the time in which it was made and the society in which the girl lived. A girl in a riding outfit challenges traditional gender roles. This subversion may have been regarded as progressive by some, as a symbol of a more egalitarian future. Meanwhile the carefully chosen riding outfit and studio setting reveal the sitter's upper-class status. It suggests a life of leisure and privilege. By emphasizing the sitter's position in society, the image participates in the construction and perpetuation of social hierarchies. To fully understand it, we might delve into social and institutional histories, exploring the cultural significance of gender roles and class structures, and the power dynamics inherent in photographic portraiture. Art is contingent on social and institutional context.