Front / Recto
- Title Class (High Diver Marjorie Gestring, 1936 Olympics Champion)
- Negative Date 1935
- Print Date 1935–55
- Medium Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions Image 8 3/4 × 7 9/16" (22.3 × 19.2 cm)
- Place Taken Oakland
- Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. The Family of Man Fund
- MoMA Accession Number 1678.2001
- Copyright ©1998 Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents
Back / Verso
- Mount Type No mount - evidence previous mounting
- Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, top left, center, and right: 61.2. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom left: Modern Style [crossed out] 1936. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom left: CLASS 1936. Signed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom right: John Gutmann. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom right: J G. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom center: JG.553.Y. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom right: TW 890601.
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Provenance
The artist, San Francisco; consigned to Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco, August 9, 1985 [1]; purchased by Kicken-Pauseback Galerie GmbH, Cologne, January 21, 1989 [2]; purchased by Thomas Walther, June 1, 1989 [3]; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
[1] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 7; Amy Whiteside (Fraenkel Gallery), letter to Audrey Sands, October 25, 2013; and Fraenkel Gallery registration no. JG.0553.Y on sheet verso.
[2] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 7; and Whiteside, letter to Sands.
[3] Kicken-Pauseback Galerie invoice no. 1078, June 1, 1989, annotated with Thomas Walther archival no. TW 890601; and Walther archival no. TW 890601 on sheet verso.
Surface
- Surface Sheen Semireflective
- Techniques Retouching (additive)
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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 Unknown
- UV Fluorescence Recto negative Verso negative
- Fiber Analysis Softwood bleached sulfite 80% Hardwood bleached soda 8% Rag 13%
- 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, P, S, Ca, Sr, Ag, Ba, Pb
- Verso or mount: not available
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), Background (red)
Elements identified: Al, P, S, Ca, Ag, Ba
Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Background (red)
Elements identified: Sr, Ag, Pb
In Context
Related Images
John Gutmann. Class (Olympic High Diving Champion, Marjorie Gestring). 1936. Gelatin silver print, 14 1/4 × 11" (36.2 × 28 cm). Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Gift of Harry Reasoner at “One Great Night in November, 1995.” © 1998 Center For Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents
John Gutmann. Class, Marjorie Gestring, Olympic High Diving Champion. 1936. Gelatin silver print, 8 × 7 7/8" (20.3 x 20 cm). Museum of Gift of Manfred Heiting. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Manfred Heiting Collection. © 1998 Center For Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents
Historical Publications
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Coronet 6, no. 3 (July 1939): 83 (as High Dive).
Related People
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Artist
