Front / Recto
- Title Shells
- Negative Date 1927
- Print Date 1927–35
- Medium Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions Image 9 1/2 x 7 1/2" (24.1 x 19 cm)Mount 17 15/16 x 14" (45.6 x 35.5 cm)
- Place Taken Los Angeles
- Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. Grace M. Mayer Fund and gift of Albert M. Bender and Merle Armitage, by exchange
- MoMA Accession Number 1909.2001
- Copyright © 1981 Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents.
Back / Verso
- Mount Type Mount (original)
- Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in pencil on sheet recto, bottom left: 5-50. Inscribed in pencil on mount recto, bottom left: Edward Weston 1927. Inscribed in pencil on mount verso, top-left corner: 4S. Inscribed in pencil on mount verso, top-left corner: 15.00. Inscribed in pencil on mount verso, top-left corner: Shells.
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Provenance
The artist; to Willard Morgan (1900–1967) [1]; by inheritance to Morgan’s son, Doug Morgan [2]; purchased by Jane Corkin Gallery, Toronto [3]; purchased by Thomas Walther, April 1982 [4]; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
[1] Jane Corkin, telephone conversation with Maria Morris Hambourg, November 2013.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.; and MacGill/Walther 2000, p. 42.
[4] Jane Corkin Gallery invoice no. 668, April 22, 1982.
Surface
- Surface Sheen Semireflective
- Techniques Mount Retouching (additive) Contact print
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PTM
Detail 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
Paper Material
- Format Imperial
- UV Fluorescence Recto negative Verso no data
- Fiber Analysis No fiber data available
- Material Techniques Developing-out paper
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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: Al, S, Cl, Ca, Zn, Rb, Sr, Ag, Ba
- Mount: Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Fe, Zn, Rb, Sr, 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, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Ag, Ba
Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Verso or Mount (blue), Background (red)
Elements identified: Fe, Zn, Rb, Ag, Sr, Pb
In Context
Related Images
Edward Weston. Shell. 1927. Gelatin silver print, 9 3/8 x 7 5/16" (23.8 x 18.6 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Merle Armitage. © 1981 Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents
Edward Weston. Eggs and Slicer. 1930. Gelatin silver print, 7 5/8 x 9 1/2" (19.4 x 24.1 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Samuel M. Kootz. © 1981 Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents
Related People
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Artist
