Untitled

Front / Recto

Title Untitled
Negative Date 1936
Print Date 1936–39
Medium Gelatin silver print
Dimensions Image 9 3/16 x 11 5/8" (23.4 x 29.5 cm)
Place Taken Berlin
Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. Abbott-Levy Collection funds, by exchange
MoMA Accession Number 1823.2001
Copyright © Archiv Leni Riefenstahl Produktion

Mount Type No mount
Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in blue pencil on sheet verso, top right: Photo/Proprieté François GIR/34 Bd de Clichy. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom left: 400 589.
Provenance The artist; to François Gir (1920–2003), Paris [1]; to Hôtel Drouot, Paris [2]; jointly purchased by Galerie Texbraun, Paris, and Galerie Octant (Alain Paviot), Paris, 1980–83 [3]; purchased by Robert Miller Gallery, New York [4]; purchased by Galerie Alain Paviot, Paris [5]; purchased by Thomas Walther, December 1, 1997 [6]; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
[1] Inscription on print verso.
[2] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 18.
[3] Ibid.; and Alain Paviot, conversation with Maria Morris Hambourg, Paris, September 2013.
[4] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 18; and Paviot, conversation with Hambourg.
[5] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 18; and Paviot, conversation with Hambourg.
[6] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 18; Paviot, conversation with Hambourg; and Galerie F + A Paviot invoice, December 1, 1997.

Surface Sheen Semireflective
Techniques 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

Format Metric
Weight Double weight
Thickness (mm) 0.37
UV Fluorescence Recto negative
Verso negative
Fiber Analysis Softwood bleached sulfite 91%
Hardwood bleached sulfite 3%
Rag 6%
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: Si, P, S, K, Ca, Cr, Fe, Zn, Br, Ag, I
- Verso: Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Cr, Fe, Zn, Br
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, K, Ca, Cr, Ag, I

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