Front / Recto

  • Title The Einstein Tower in Potsdam (The Coelostat in the Upper Dome That Catches and Projects the Light of the Stars into the Laboratory) (Der Einstein-Turm bei Potsdam [Der Coelostat in der oberen Kuppel, der das Licht der Gestirne auffängt und ins Laboratorium projiziert])
  • Negative Date 1928
  • Print Date 1928–35
  • Medium Gelatin silver print
  • Dimensions Image 9 1/8 × 6 7/8" (23.1 × 17.4 cm)
  • Place Taken Potsdam
  • Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. Abbott-Levy Collection funds, by exchange
  • MoMA Accession Number 1864.2001

Back / Verso

  • Mount Type No mount
  • Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, top left: 87/0TR. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, top center: STONE. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, top right: R 1935. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, top center: 105/326. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, center: S. Stone, ca 1925. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, center: Einstein-Türm. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom right: P 8912002 CTW.
  • Provenance The artist. Sold through Schoppmann & Partner, Düsseldorf, to Thomas Walther [1]; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
    [1] Thomas Walther, telephone conversation with Simon Bieling, June 22, 2004; and Egidio Marzona, conversation with Walther, Berlin, April 2014.

Surface

  • Surface Sheen Glossy
  • Techniques 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 Metric
  • Weight Single weight
  • Thickness (mm) 0.18
  • UV Fluorescence Recto negative
    Verso negative
  • Fiber Analysis Softwood bleached sulfite 87%
    Rag 13%
  • 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, Ca, Zn, Sr, Ag, Ba, Pb
    • Verso: Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, 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, K, Ca, Ag, Ba
    Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Verso or Mount (blue), Background (red)
    Elements identified: Zn, Sr, Ag, Pb

In Context

Related Images

Sasha Stone. Photographs reproduced in “Das grosse Turmteleskop in Potsdam. Ein Besuch im Einstein-Turm” (The large tower telescope in Potsdam. A visit to the Einstein Tower). Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung 37, no. 51 (December 16, 1928). Ullstein Bild. © 2014 Axel Springer SE

Historical Publications

  • “Das grosse Turmteleskop in Potsdam. Ein Besuch im Einstein-Turm.” Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung 37, no. 51 (December 16, 1928): 2,196 (as Der Coelostat in der oberen Kuppel, der das Licht der Gestirne auffängt und ins Laboratorium projiziert).

Related People

Related Links

For best results, please enable JavaScript.