Lunch (12–2 p.m.)

Front / Recto

Title Lunch (12–2 p.m.) (Mittagessen [12–2 Uhr])
Negative Date 1931
Print Date 1955–60
Medium Gelatin silver print
Dimensions Image 6 7/16 × 4 5/8" (16.3 × 11.7 cm)
Place Taken Dessau
Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. Abbott-Levy Collection funds, by exchange
MoMA Accession Number 1916.2001
Copyright © 2015 Makoto Yamawaki

Mount Type No mount
Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, center: 61-1888 [7 is inscribed over the last 8]. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, center: Mittagessen (12–2 uhr). Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom: PF 16777.
Provenance The artist; to Tom Jacobson, San Diego, 1985 [1]; to Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York, 1996 [2]; purchased by Thomas Walther, September 24, 1996 [3]; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
[1] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 26; and Alicia Colen (Howard Greenberg Gallery), e-mail to Maria Morris Hambourg, October 25, 2013.
[2] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 26; Colen, e-mail to Hambourg; and Howard Greenberg Gallery inventory no. PF 16777 inscribed on print verso. The gallery acquired the print for a Yamawaki exhibition.
[3] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 26; and Howard Greenberg Gallery invoice no. 96-0624, September 24, 1996.

Surface Sheen Glossy
Techniques Retouching (additive)
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

Format Metric
Weight Single weight
Thickness (mm) 0.19
UV Fluorescence Recto positive
Verso positive
Fiber Analysis Softwood bleached sulfite
Softwood bleached sulfite 99%
Softwood bleached kraft 1%
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, Ca, Sr, Ag, Ba
- Verso: Al, Ca, 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, P, S, Ca, Ag, Ba

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