Yep. there is some sort of coherence in seeing grain, low contrast and dark tones that says low light, intimacy, sombre mood. I wonder if we have learnt that from seeing grain when photos are taken in low light, or because the eye itself starts to work more impressionistically in low light?
I think it might be a mixture of both.
I sometimes look at books, that I know to be well printed, under lowish (40W) table lamp lighting. To my surpise those years ago when I first noticed, the quality of b/white repro seems to improve a lot under poorish light. Not so much colour pages, but definitely so b/white. I can't decide if that's because of the colour of domestic bulbs putting some sort of yellow filter over the b/w repro, or just that it hides flaws.
However, back to Lille-Mor: I think the lighting makes for a feeling of intimacy, and in her case, who'd have complained? After all, that's the purpose of lighting a subject... if he lit or simply grabbed, that is, as I think Bailey used to do with Marie H around bedtime.
