Front / Recto

  • Title Waves of Sea and Gypsum (Meeres und des Gipses Wellen)
  • Negative Date 1929–30
  • Print Date 1929–30
  • Medium Gelatin silver print
  • Dimensions Image 8 5/16 x 8 9/16" (21.1 x 21.8 cm)
    Sheet 9 1/8 × 9 3/8" (23.1 × 23.8 cm)
  • Place Taken Dessau
  • Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. Abbott-Levy Collection funds, by exchange
  • MoMA Accession Number 1807.2001
  • Copyright © Estate Walter Peterhans, Museum Folkwang, Essen

Back / Verso

  • Mount Type No mount
  • Marks and Inscriptions Signed in pencil on sheet recto, bottom right: Peterhans. Stamped in black ink on sheet verso, top right: 08/69. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, center: Peterhans/Bauhaus Dessau [underlined]. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom left: RK 20682-1DTSEH2.
  • Provenance The artist; to E. L. T. Mesens (1903–1971), Brussels, 1930 [1]; by inheritance to Mesens's heirs [2]; purchased by Yves Gevaert, Brussels, early 1980s [3]; to Galerie Rudolf Kicken, Cologne [4]; sold through Kunsthaus Lempertz, Cologne, to Mario Smodej, Berlin [5]; purchased by Thomas Walther, March 1983[6]; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
    [1] Yves Gevaert, fax to Simon Bieling, June 23, 2005. This print was submitted to E. L. T. Mesens, an artist and editor, by Peterhans, along with two other photographs, to be considered for inclusion in the international exhibition of photography at Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, in 1930.
    [2] Ibid.
    [3] Ibid.; and MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 17.
    [4] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 17.
    [5] Ibid.
    [6] Ina Schmidt-Runke (Kicken Berlin), e-mail to Maria Morris Hambourg, November 13, 2013; and Thomas Walther archival no. TW 830302 on Walther inventory sheet.

Surface

  • Surface Sheen Matte
  • Techniques Coating
  • 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

Paper Material

  • Format Unknown
  • Weight Double weight
  • Thickness (mm) 0.31
  • UV Fluorescence Recto negative
    Verso negative
  • Fiber Analysis Rag 68%
    Bast 32%
    Softwood bleached sulfite 1%
  • 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, Ca, Cr, Fe, Zn, Ag
    • Verso: Al, Si, P, S, Ca, Cr, Fe, Zn

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

In Context

Related Images

Walter A. Peterhans. Still-Life. c. 1928–32. Gelatin silver print, 11 1/2 x 15 1/2" (29.3 x 39.3 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Celeste Bartos. © Estate Walter Peterhans, Museum Folkwang, Essen
Spread from Franz Roh and Jan Tschichold. Foto-Auge: 76 Fotos der Zeit (Photo-Eye: 76 photos of the time). Stuttgart: F. Wedekind, 1929. Left: Walter A. Peterhans. Still Life (Stilleben). Right: Still Life (Stilleben). © Estate Walter Peterhans, Museum Folkwang, Essen

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