{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1435684"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1435684/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2019ME4099/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2019ME4099/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2019ME4099","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1435684","accessionNumber":"PH.250-2021","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"Unemployed people sitting on benches, Embankment","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Emil Otto Hoppé was one of the most active art and documentary photographers of his time. Born in Munich, Hoppé moved to London in his early 20s where he began to exhibit as an amateur photographer. He opened his first photography studio in 1907, expanding to a larger studio by 1911. Hoppé became a renowned portrait photographer. His sitters included many luminary personalities from the arts, literature, and politics such as George Bernard Shaw, Thomas Hardy, T.S. Eliot, Vaslav Nijinsky, Queen Mary, King George, and other members of the Royal Family. Hoppé was also known as a talented landscape and travel photographer. He journeyed across Britain and Ireland to study people from all walks of life, but also as far as Cuba, Sri Lanka and New Zealand to expand his body of work. This collecton of 80 photographs depict London in the 1920s and 30s, including famous landmarks such as Big Ben, St Pauls Cathedral and boats on the river Thames. There are also snapshots of day to day life in the city, often captured by Hoppé with a mix of poignancy and humour.  A large portion of the pictures depict the V&A, such as cleaners in the galleries, a blind winder, the 1930s equivalent of ‘Opinions’ afternoons, and lectures. There are also images of the Natural History Museum and the Royal College of Art. \r\n","physicalDescription":"Photograph depicts three people; one woman and two men siting on bench. All are asleep. In the foreground of the picture is the pavement, the bench is central to the frame. The right and central armrests of the bench can be seen to have the highly decorative element of a sphinx's head. The woman sits on the left side of the bench her hands are crossed, her handbag is in her lap, she wears a knee length coat and a large hat. The man sleeping in the centre of the frame and bench has his head tilted backward with his hat on face, his legs are outstretched and hands crossed in lap holding his gloves. On the right side of the photograph and bench is the second man who leans forward and holds his head in his hands. Next to him are some steps which lead to the background of the photograph in which is a hedge in dark shadow and street. On the reverse of the image is written 'London,' 'Embankment,' and 'X Unemployed' and the numbers 1355-1567.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Hoppé, Emil Otto","id":"A15936"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[{"text":"Gelatin silver process","id":"AAT139114"},{"text":"photography","id":"AAT54225"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Gelatin silver print","categories":[{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"DOP","id":"THES291628"},"images":["2019ME4099"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLF","id":"THES49656"},"free":"","case":"X","shelf":"941","box":"C"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Photographs","id":"AAT46300"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1933","earliest":"1933-01-01","latest":"1933-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Gift of the American Friends of the V&A","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"6.7","unit":"cm","qualifier":"Image","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"Image and sheet are the same size"},{"dimension":"Width","value":"9.7","unit":"cm","qualifier":"Image","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"Image and sheet are the same size"},{"dimension":"Height","value":"7","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Photograph by Emil Otto Hoppé of Unemployed people sitting on benches, Embankment, London, 1933","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"London","id":"x28980"}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["PH.250-2021"],"accessionNumberNum":"250","accessionNumberPrefix":"PH","accessionYear":2021,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-08-21","recordCreationDate":"2018-03-13","availableToBook":false}}