Untitled (portrait of girl seen from side, turning to look over shoulder) after 1940

This haunting portrait was captured by Paul Gittings using photographic processes. Unlike a painting or sculpture, this image relies on precise chemistry and optics, tools that emerged from industrial technology. Note the subject’s posture and subtle expression, achieved through careful arrangement and timing, all hallmarks of skilled portraiture. The composition, combined with the inherent qualities of black and white film—its tonal range, depth of field, and sensitivity to light—impart a sense of timelessness. Every photographic choice, from the selection of the lens to the darkroom manipulations, contributes to the emotional resonance of the image. Photography transformed portraiture, once an elite commission, into a widely accessible commodity. Photography’s accessibility does not diminish the skill required to produce an image like this one. It invites us to consider how technology shapes both the making and our experience of art.