{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O142324"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O142324/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BV6545/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BV6545/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2008BV6545","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O142324/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O142324","accessionNumber":"SD.211","objectType":"Watercolour","titles":[{"title":"A pair of White Pelicans","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Howard Carter is now famous for being an Egyptologist who discovered several royal tombs in the Theban necropolis, including that of Tutankhamun in 1922. However, he began as an artist and was taught drawing by his father Samuel John Carter, an animal painter.  Carter excavated in Egypt from 1892, first for the Egypt Exploration Fund, then for the Egyptian Antiquities Service until 1903 and from 1907 for Lord Carnarvon. In the early years he supplemented his income by painting and selling watercolours of birds. \r\nMany visitors to Egypt drew or commented on the number and variety of its birds. Among them was Edward Lear, artist, traveller, nonsense writer, and, in his early career, ornithological draughtsman. One species - the Pelican inspired one of his most famous nonsense poems, The Pelican Chorus (1877): \r\n\r\nWe live on the Nile. The Nile we love. \r\nBy night we sleep on the cliffs above;\r\nBy day we fish, and at eve we stand \r\nOn long bare islands of yellow sand.","physicalDescription":"Watercolour drawing","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Carter, Howard","id":"A20830"},"association":{"text":"painter","id":"x36959"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"watercolour","id":"AAT15045"},{"text":"watercolour","id":"x33202"}],"techniques":[{"text":"watercolour drawing","id":"x37878"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Watercolour heightened with white","categories":[{"text":"Paintings","id":"THES48917"}],"styles":[{"text":"British School","id":"x30967"},{"text":"Orientalism","id":"x31272"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2008BV6545"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLD","id":"THES49658"},"free":"","case":"SCX","shelf":"7","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"watercolour","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Nile","id":"x41314"},"association":{"text":"painted","id":"AAT54216"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1899","earliest":"1899-01-01","latest":"1899-12-31"},"association":{"text":"painted","id":"AAT54216"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Purchased with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund, Shell International and the Friends of the V&A","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"42.1","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"33","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Signed and dated Howard Carter. 1899","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"According to Rodney Searight: -  `Bt Caroline Smyth (ex P[rue] Heathcote-Williams, Feby.1979, £93)'","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Watercolour, A pair of White Pelicans, 1899, by Howard Carter","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"Searight, Rodney and Scarce, Jennifer M., <i>A Middle Eastern journey : artists on their travels from the collection of Rodney Searight,</i> Talbot Rice Art Centre, 1980","id":"AUTH351213"},"details":"","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"Conner, Patrick (ed).<i> The Inspiration of Egypt : its influence on British artists, travellers, and designers, 1700-1900</i>. Brighton Borough Council, Brighton, 1983","id":"AUTH351232"},"details":"","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"Nile","id":"x41314"}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"White Pelican","id":"x41334"},{"text":"Pelecanus onocrotalus","id":"x41335"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["SD.211"],"accessionNumberNum":"211","accessionNumberPrefix":"SD","accessionYear":null,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-17","recordCreationDate":"2007-12-22","availableToBook":false}}