Other material relating to Stefan and Franciszka Themerson in the Word and Image Department, Victoria and Albert Museum.

Prints, Drawings and Paintings section

Photographs

Themerson, Stefan : Photo-Images with and without camera. A portfolio of 13 photographic images by Stefan Themerson. Produced and published by Editions Ottezec, London, 1983.

Museum number: Ph.16-28-1987/Pressmark x999A

Literature : the portfolio included a copy of the exhibition catalogue Stefan i Franciszka Themerson : visual researches (Lodz : Museum of Art, 1982) now in the National Art Library (pressmark NL.94.0153)

The portfolio contains 13 mounted photographic works plus two printed sheets which contain

1) title, essay on ‘The uniqueness of photograms’ by the artist, the beginning of a list of titles and dates,

2) continuation of list plus publication details. Rodney Grey, publisher of Editions Ottezec, explained the printing details in a letter dated 10 March 1991:
“We made our prints of the photograms (that is Numbers 1-5) from negatives which Stefan Themerson had had made for him some years before.
Numbers 6 and 7 we made film negatives which Stefan had had made from the film positives (that is, the 35mm cinema film).
For No.8, ST had had made a number of sheets of negatives from strips of the cinema positive film and we used a negative from one of these.
For No.9, ST gave me a strip of the cinema positive, and suggested that we use the torn frame at the end of the strip. I had the negative made - - - .
For No. 10, the self-portrait, ST gave me the negative, which had been made on an old view camera, and, because he wanted it printed in negative, he had made a positive on transparent stock, from which the prints were made. The prints are the same size as the original negative.
For Nos.11+12, ST gave me some pieces of the Dufaycolour positives (like No.13); we had enlarged colour negatives made and from these the prints were made”
____________________________

Photogram, Konstancin, Poland, 1928 (copy, 1983)
Signed in ink below the image Stefan Themerson and inscribed in pencil on the back #1.

Size of image 19.2 x 12.3 cms
Size of sheet 26.4 x 21.2 cms
Gelatin–silver print
Museum number: Ph.16-1987

Photogram, 1928 or 1929 (copy, 1983)
Signed in ink below the image Stefan Themerson

Size of image 17.4 x 23.5 cm
Size of sheet 21.2 x 26.4 cm
Gelatin–silver print
Museum number: Ph.17-1987

Photogram, 1928 or 1929 (copy, 1983)
Signed in ink below the image Stefan Themerson

Size of image 18.8 x 22.3 cm
Size of sheet 21.3 x 26.5 cm
Gelatin–silver print
Museum number: Ph.18-1987

Photogram, 1929 (copy, 1983)
Signed on the image in orange ink Stefan Themerson

Size of image 19.2 x 25.2 cm
Size of sheet 21.3 x 26.5 cm
Gelatin–silver print
Museum number: Ph.19 -1987

Photogram, 1930 (copy, 1983)
Signed in ink below the image Stefan Themerson

Size of image 9.7 x 15.1 cm
Size of sheet 19.6 x 26 cm
Gelatin–silver print
Museum number: Ph.20-1987

Photogram, a study for Moment Musical, a short sound film by Franciszka and Stefan Themerson, Warsaw 1933 (copy, 1983).
Signed in ink below the image Stefan Themerson

Size of image 23.4 x 17.7 cm
Size of sheet 25.3 x 21.3 cm
Gelatin–silver print
Museum number: Ph.21–1987

Photogram, a study for Moment Musical, a short sound film by Franciszka and Stefan Themerson, Warsaw 1933 (copy, 1983).
Signed in ink below the image Stefan Themerson

Size of image 23.6 x 17.6 cm
Size of sheet 25.5 x 20.2 cm
Gelatin–silver print
Museum number: Ph.22–1987

Photogram in motion, from The Eye and the Ear, a sound film by Franciszka and Stefan Themerson, London, 1944-5 (copy, 1983)
Signed in ink below the image Stefan Themerson

Size of image 15.7 x 20.3 cm
Size of sheet 25.5 x 32.3 cm
Gelatin-silver print
Museum number: Ph.23-1987

Still from The Eye and the Ear, a sound film by Franciszka and Stefan Themerson, London, 1944-5 (printed 1983).
Signed in ink below the image Stefan Themerson

Size of image 14.6 x 23.6 cm
Size of sheet 20.3 x 25.4 cm
Gelatin-silver print
Museum number: Ph.24-1987

Self-portrait, London, 1955 (printed 1983).
Signed on the image in gold ink Stefan Themerson

Size of image 19.2 x 23.9 cm
Size of sheet 20.1 x 25.3 cm
Negative gelatin-silver print
Museum number: Ph.25-1987

Stills from the sequence of images for J.S. Bach Toccata in Calling Mr Smith, a film by Franciszka and Stefan Themerson, London, 1943 (printed 1983).
Signed in orange ink below the image Stefan Themerson

Size of image 18.1 x 12.8 cm
Size of sheet 25.5 x 20.4 cm
C-type colour photograph
Museum number: Ph.26-1987

A documentary film sequence, re-photographed in coloured lights through the positive superimposed on the negative, from Calling Mr Smith, a film by Franciszka and Stefan Themerson, London, 1943 (printed 1983).
Signed in orange ink below the image Stefan Themerson

Size of image 18.1 x 10.4 cm
Size of sheet 25.5 x 20.4 cm
C-type colour photograph
Museum number: Ph.27-1987

Original positive frames from first proofs of Calling Mr Smith, a film by Franciszka and Stefan Themerson, London, 1943.

9.4 x 3.5 cm (sight size)
Dufay-colour 35 mm film strip
Museum number: Ph.28-1987

Drawings

Themerson, Franciszka Men in a space-net
Signed and dated Themerson, 1957
Pen and ink drawing. 16 x 20 2/8
Museum number: E.375-1964

This drawing was shown in the artist’s ‘Retrospective Exhibition’ (1943-1963) held at the Drian Galleries, London, 10 September – 7 October 1963.
The catalogue for this exhibition is in the National Art Library, pressmark 200.BD.