Why did Edward Steichen photograph a white cup and saucer more than one thousand times?

Edward Steichen photographed a white cup and saucer against a black velvet background more than one thousand times as part of his post-World War I transition toward optical clarity and objective description. Following his service in the Signal Corps, where he oversaw aerial photography, Steichen moved away from the "vaporous symbolism" of his earlier Pictorialism style. By repeatedly photographing the cup and saucer, he sought to achieve a perfect rendering of the subtle gradations of white, black, and gray.1