A Lost Dada Photomontage
The large halftoned background image in
Da-Dandy isn’t just a scenic photograph—
it’s a photomontage, composed of layered photographic elements including landscape, abstract forms, and importantly a
“Veil Water” fragment.
Photomontage at this time was an almost exclusively Dada technique, pioneered by
artists like Picabia, Man Ray, Hausmann,
Höch, and Heartfield, between 1916 and 1920.
The existence of halftoning confirms that the montage was mechanically reproduced, meaning it was photographed
from a physical collage and printed somewhere—as a full-page visual, or possibly as an insert from a Dada
publication such as 391.
The “Veil Water” effect—seen prominently in the composition—is a visual motif unique to Dada, appearing in
works like Morée and in Belle-Haleine, where a photo of the effect is used as a backdrop.
This may suggest that Duchamp was aware of the montage, and possibly even contributed to creating it.
The image in Da-Dandy may be the only surviving fragment of a now-lost Dada photomontage—
one that’s been hiding in plain sight.
A Collaboration
Suspected Stella Collage
from Da-Dandy background
pre-1919
This photomontage as it turns out is another very important clue in our story. The montage is made up of up to 4 elements. Those elements include a water scene with branches emerging from the water, then possibly in the top right, a ghostly image of a woman’s head. Laid over that element is a “Veil Water” fragment, possibly connected to Duchamp, and next to that is what appears to be a Joseph Stella collage.
We are still looking for the publication where Hoch clipped this image from.
Joseph Stella Collage—1920
Marcel Duchamp & Joseph Stella at Man Ray's, NY—1916
