Untitled

Front / Recto

Title Untitled (Bauhaus Students)
Negative Date 1927–28
Print Date 1927–39
Medium Gelatin silver print
Dimensions Image 3 1/4 × 4 5/16" (8.2 × 11 cm)
Sheet 3 5/16 × 4 7/16" (8.4 × 11.2 cm)
Place Taken Dessau
Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. Gift of the Estate of Robert C. Weinberg, by exchange
MoMA Accession Number 1659.2001
Copyright © 2015 Erich Comeriner Archiv/Galerie David, Bielefeld

Mount Type No mount - evidence previous mount
Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in blue ink on sheet verso, center: [illegible]. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, center: 2 [circled]. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, center: 600 [circled]. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom right: TW 880205.
Provenance The artist; to Alma Siedhoff-Buscher (1899–1944), Frankfurt; by inheritance to the estate of Alma Siedhoff-Buscher (Joost and Lore Siedhoff), Frankfurt, 1944 [1]; purchased by Egidio Marzona, Berlin/Bielefeld, 1978–79 [2]; to Galerie Berinson, Berlin [3]; purchased by Thomas Walther, probably February 1988 [4]; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
[1] Egidio Marzona, conversation with Thomas Walther, Berlin, April 2014.
[2] Ibid.; and MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 6.
[3] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 6; and Hendrik Berinson, conversation with Beiling, Galerie Berinson, Berlin, February 18, 2005. Berinson is unsure about this transfer.
[4] Ibid.; and Thomas Walther archival no. TW 880205 on sheet verso.

Surface Sheen Semireflective
Techniques Contact print
PTM

View of the recto of the artwork made using reflectance transformation imaging (RTI) software, which exaggerates subtle surface details and renders the features of the artwork plainly visible. Department of Conservation, MoMA
Micro-raking

Raking-light close-up image, as shot. Area of detail is 6.7 x 6.7 mm. Department of Conservation, MoMA

Raking-light close-up image, processed. Processing included removal of color, equalization of the histogram, and sharpening, all designed to enhance visual comparison. Department of Conservation, MoMA

Format Metric
UV Fluorescence Recto negative
Verso negative
Fiber Analysis Softwood bleached sulfite 26%
Hardwood bleached sulfite 1%
Rag 6%
Bast 3%
Grass 64%
Material Techniques Developing-out paper
XRF
This work was determined to be a gelatin silver print via X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry.

The following elements have been positively identified in the work, through XRF readings taken from its recto and verso (or from the mount, where the verso was not accessible):
- Recto: S, Cl, Ca, Zn, Sr, Ag, Ba, Pb
- Verso: Al, Si, P, S, Ca, Fe, Zn, Sr, Sn, Ba, Pb
The graphs below show XRF spectra for three areas on the print: two of the recto—from areas of maximum and minimum image density (Dmax and Dmin)—and one of the verso or mount. The background spectrum represents the contribution of the XRF instrument itself. The first graph shows elements identified through the presence of their characteristic peaks in the lower energy range (0 to 8 keV). The second graph shows elements identified through the presence of their characteristic peaks in the higher energy range (8 to 40 keV).

Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Verso or Mount (blue), Background (red)
Elements identified: Al, Si, P, S, Cl, Ca, Ag, Sn, Ba

Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Verso or Mount (blue), Background (red)
Elements identified: Fe, Zn, Sr, Ag, Sn, Pb