Front / Recto
- Title La Flore de Saint-Malo
- Negative Date 1929
- Print Date 1929–39
- Medium Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions Image 8 5/8 × 6" (21.9 × 15.3 cm)
- Place Taken Saint-Malo
- Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. Abbott-Levy Collection funds, by exchange
- MoMA Accession Number 1770.2001
Back / Verso
- Mount Type No mount
- Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in blue ink on sheet verso, top left: 20237 [underlined]/31. Stamped in black ink on sheet verso, center: MENTION OBLIGATOIRE/Photo ELI LOTAR. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, center: ↨ 180 m/m. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom left: 820 [underlined]. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom center: PF 25070. Inscribed in blue pencil on sheet verso, bottom right: 3M. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom right: P 8912001 and CTW.
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Provenance
The artist, Paris [1]; to Archives Jean Selz, Paris [2]; to François Meyer, Paris [3]; to Galerie Octant (Alain Paviot), Paris [4]; purchased by Thomas Walther, 1987–89 [5]; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
[1] Alain Paviot, conversation with Maria Morris Hambourg, Paris, September 2013.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.; and MacGill/Walther 2000, p. 23.
[5] Paviot, conversation with Hambourg.
Surface
- Surface Sheen Semireflective
- Techniques Retouching in negative
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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
Paper Material
- Format Unknown
- Weight Single weight
- Thickness (mm) 0.17
- UV Fluorescence Recto negative Verso negative
- 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: P, S, Ca, Zn, Sr, Ag, Ba
- Verso: Al, S, Ca, Zn, Sr, Ba
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, P, S, Ca, Ag, Ba
Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Verso or Mount (blue), Background (red)
Elements identified: Zn, Sr, Ag
In Context
Historical Publications
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Variétés 2, no. 1 (May 15, 1929): insert facing p. 45 (as untitled photograph in a spread entitled "Retour de Terre-Neuve La Flore de Saint-Malo").
Valéry, Paul. Images du monde: Mers, Marines, Marins, pl. 5 (as Trois-Mâts à Saint-Malo/Three-Masters at Saint-Malo/Dreimaster in Saint-Malo). Paris: Firmin-Didot, 1930.
Related People
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Artist
