Untitled

Front / Recto

Mount Type No mount
Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom edge, center: TW 860301.
Provenance The artist, Paris. Private collection (possibly Robert Shapazian, 1943–2010), Los Angeles [1]; to Robert Miller Gallery, New York, 1986 [2]; purchased by Thomas Walther, March 1986 [3]; given to The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
[1] MacGill/Walther 2001(4), p. 14. Robert Shapazian acquired several prints directly from the artist in the 1970s.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Robert Miller Gallery invoice no. 3498P, March 10, 1986, annotated with Thomas Walther archival no. TW 860301; and Walther archival no. TW 860301 on sheet verso.

Surface Sheen Semireflective
Techniques Contact print
Retouching in negative
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 Metric
Weight Single weight
Thickness (mm) 0.16
UV Fluorescence Recto negative
Verso negative
Fiber Analysis Softwood bleached sulfite 22%
Hardwood bleached sulfite 2%
Rag 68%
Bast 8%
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: S, Cl, Ca, Zn, Sr, Ag, Ba
- Verso: Al, S, Ca, Fe, 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, S, Cl, Ca, Fe, Ag, Ba

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

Gallotti, Jean. “La Photographie est-elle un art? Tabard.” L’Art vivant 6, no. 121 (January 1, 1930): 19 (as untitled photograph).