Untitled (woman in long fur coat and dress seated in high backed chair) c. 1940

This untitled photograph by Paul Gittings presents a seated woman, captured in a study of tonal inversions. The composition is structured by contrasting textures, the softness of the fur against the rigid lines of the chair. The photograph's formal arrangement invites a semiotic reading, where the inverted tones disrupt conventional representation. This disruption destabilizes traditional associations of light and dark, forcing a reevaluation of visual signs. The woman's posture, framed by the chair's high back, evokes classical portraiture, yet the tonal reversal challenges this established code. The interplay between the visual elements and their altered presentation encourages an active engagement with the image. This work functions as a commentary on representation, revealing how much of our understanding relies on established visual conventions and how these can be creatively subverted.