Untitled still from Film Study (Filmstudie) (1928)

Front / Recto

Title Untitled still from Film Study (Filmstudie) (1928)
Negative Date 1927
Print Date 1960-76
Medium Gelatin silver print
Dimensions Image 2 7/8 x 3 7/8" (7.3 x 9.8 cm)
Sheet 3 1/4 × 4 15/16" (8.2 × 12.6 cm)
Place Taken Berlin
Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. Gift of Thomas Walther
MoMA Accession Number 1819.2001
Copyright © 2015 Hans Richter

Mount Type No mount
Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in black ink on sheet verso, center: Filmstudy 26. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom right: TW 880902.
Provenance The artist; by inheritance to the artist's estate (the artist's stepdaughter), by 1976 [1]; to George R. Rinhart, 1986 [2]; to Edwynn Houk Gallery, Chicago, 1987 [3]; purchased by Thomas Walther, probably September 1988 [4]; given to The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
[1] Edwynn Houk, conversation with Simon Bieling, New York, March 30, 2005.
[2] Ibid.; George Rinhart, letter to Susan Kismaric, June 2005; and Matthew Ortiz (Edwynn Houk Gallery), e-mail to Maria Morris Hambourg, April 30, 2014.
[3] Rinhart, letter to Kismaric; and Ortiz, e-mail to Hambourg.
[4] Thomas Walther archival no. TW 880902 on sheet verso.

Surface Sheen Semireflective
Techniques Retouching (additive)
Contact print
Film frame
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

Format Unknown
Weight Single weight
Thickness (mm) 0.18
UV Fluorescence Recto positive
Verso positive
Fiber Analysis Softwood bleached soda 91%
Softwood bleached sulfite
Hardwood bleached sulfite 7%
Rag 2%
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, Sr, Ag, Ba
- Verso: Al, P, S, 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, Ag, Ba

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