Front / Recto
- Title Shrug of the Shoulder
- Negative Date 1935
- Print Date 1935–55
- Medium Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions Image 7 7/8 x 8 5/8" (20 x 21.9 cm)
- Place Taken Oakland
- Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. Gift of Thomas Walther
- MoMA Accession Number 1677.2001
- Copyright ©1998 Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents
Back / Verso
- Mount Type No mount
- Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, top right: 177,3. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom left: SHRUG OF THE SHOULDER 1935. 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.115.Y. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom center: RMG +G+ 9901.058.c. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom right: 177,3.
-
Provenance
The artist, San Francisco; to Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco, July 22, 1980 [1]; purchased by Brent Sikkema, Boston, March 7, 1984 [2]; to Robert Miller Gallery, New York, 1999 [3]; purchased by Thomas Walther, June 16, 1999 [3]; given to The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
[1] Amy Whiteside (Fraenkel Gallery), letter to Audrey Sands, October 25, 2013; and Fraenkel Gallery registration no. JG.115.Y on sheet verso.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Robert Miller Gallery invoice no. 9846P, June 16, 1999; and Miller archival no. RMG +G+ 9901.058.c on sheet verso.
Surface
- Surface Sheen Glossy
- Techniques Retouching (additive) Enlargement Ferrotyping
-
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
- Weight Single weight
- Thickness (mm) 0.18
- UV Fluorescence Recto negative Verso negative
- Fiber Analysis Softwood bleached sulfite 98% Softwood bleached sulfite 3%
- Material Techniques Developing-out 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, 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
Related People
-
Artist
