Front / Recto

  • Title Brekekekèx-koàx-koáx
  • Negative Date 1930
  • Print Date 1930–39
  • Medium Gelatin silver print
  • Dimensions Image 10 5/16 × 8 7/16" (26.2 × 21.4 cm)
    Sheet 10 3/8 × 8 9/16" (26.3 × 21.7 cm)
    Mount 20 11/16 × 14" (52.6 × 35.5 cm)
  • Place Taken Detroit
  • Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. Gift of James N. Rosenberg, by exchange
  • MoMA Accession Number 1634.2001
  • Copyright © 2015 Estate of Margaret Bourke-White/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Back / Verso

  • Mount Type Mount (original)
  • Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom right: TW 900501.
  • Provenance The artist. Waiting for Godot Books (Gary Olson), Hadley, Mass., 1979–88 [1]; to Lee Gallery, Winchester, Mass., September 1, 1988 [2]; to William L. Schaeffer Photographic Works of Art, Chester, Conn., c. 1988 [3]; purchased by Thomas Walther, May 8, 1990 [4]; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
    [1] Mack Lee, letter to Audrey Sands, September 20, 2013.
    [2] Ibid.; MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 3; and Lee, e-mail to Simon Bieling, June 14, 2005.
    [3] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 3.
    [4] William L. Schaeffer Photographic Works of Art invoice, May 8, 1990.

Surface

  • Surface Sheen Semireflective
  • Techniques Mount
    Coating
    Enlargement
  • 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 Unknown
  • UV Fluorescence Recto negative
    Verso no data
  • Fiber Analysis No fiber data available
  • Material Techniques Developing-out paper
    Baryta-less 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: Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Cr, Fe, Zn, Rb, Sr, Ag, Ba, Pb
    • Mount: Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Zn, 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, Ti, Cr, Ag, Ba
    Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Verso or Mount (blue), Background (red)
    Elements identified: Fe, Zn, Rb, Sr, Ag, Pb

In Context

Historical Publications

  • "Parke, Davis & Co.—E. R. Squibb & Sons." Fortune 2, no. 4 (September 1930): 68 (as Bpekekekèz Koàz Koáz [Brek-ek-ek-ex, ko-ax, ko-ax]).

Related People

For best results, please enable JavaScript.