White Party, Dessau

Front / Recto

Title White Party, Dessau (Weißes Fest, Dessau)
Negative Date March 20, 1926
Print Date 1926–35
Medium Gelatin silver print
Dimensions Image 3 x 1 15/16" (7.6 x 5 cm)
Sheet 3 1/8 × 2 1/8" (7.9 × 5.4 cm)
Place Taken Dessau
Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. Acquired through the generosity of Howard Stein
MoMA Accession Number 1783.2001

Mount Type No mount
Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, top right: RK 20482-3UH8 [oriented upside down with respect to image]. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, top right: P-86-8-024 [oriented upside down with respect to image]. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, left: Weißes Fest 1925 [crossed out]/dessau. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, left: 1926/20. März. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom right: A733/14/2. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom right: FA255A/2.
Provenance The estate of Hannes Meyer (Léna Meyer-Bergner), Basel [1]; purchased by Egidio Marzona, Berlin/Bielefeld, 1975–76 [2]; purchased by Galerie Rudolf Kicken, Cologne, August 1986 [3]; purchased by Thomas Walther; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
[1] Egidio Marzona, conversation with Thomas Walther, Berlin, April 2014.
[2] Ibid.; and Rudolf Kicken, conversation with Simon Bieling, Kicken Berlin, February 17, 2004.
[2] Kicken, telephone conversation with Bieling, June 22, 2004; and Kicken archival no. P-86-8-024 on sheet verso.

Surface Sheen Semireflective
Techniques Contact print
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 Heavy weight
Thickness (mm) 0.44
UV Fluorescence Recto negative
Verso negative
Fiber Analysis Softwood bleached sulfite 84%
Hardwood bleached sulfite 3%
Rag 5%
Bast 3%
Grass 4%
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: P, S, Cl, Ca, Zn, Sr, Ag, Ba, Pb
- Verso: Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Fe, Zn, Sr, Ba, Pb
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, Cl, K, Ca, Ag, Ba

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