{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1435752"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1435752/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2018LB9002/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2018LB9002/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2018LB9002","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1435752","accessionNumber":"PH.264-2021","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"Cleaning, Victoria & Albert Museum","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 cleaners cleaning a Gallery of the Victoria and Albert Museum. In the foreground of the photograph is the museum floor, six cleaners on their hands and knees, looking down. The cleaners wear white shirts, waistcoats and caps, they have wash cloths in their right hand an cushions under their knees. Behind the cleaners are statues of Buddah, Chinese artifacts, andfour cleaners standing with backs to the camera, they hold mops. Centre right of the photograph is a large sculture of Buddah, on the right of the picture is a staute. In the background of the photograph can be seen museum cases, gallery walls and a continuation of the museum through an archway. On the reverse of the image is written 'London,' 'Victoria and Albert Museum' 'X Cleaning' and the numbers 19669-32.","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":["2018LB9002"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLF","id":"THES49656"},"free":"","case":"DR","shelf":"3","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Photographs","id":"AAT46300"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1931","earliest":"1931-01-01","latest":"1931-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Gift of the American Friends of the V&A","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"11.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"Image","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"Image and sheet are the same size"},{"dimension":"Width","value":"15.5","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 Cleaning, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 1931","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"London","id":"x28980"}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"<b>Photography Centre 2018-20:</b>\n\nEmil Otto Hoppé (1878–1972)\r\nStaff and Visitors at the Victoria and Albert Museum\r\n1931\r\n\r\nThese photographs show museum life in full swing at the V&A almost a century ago. The images include: a cleaner dusting a 16th-century marble statue of the Greek hero Jason, a troop of men in uniform cleaning the floors, women in fur coats bringing ceramics to a curator for assessment, and avid listeners filling a lecture room.\r\n\r\nGelatin silver print\r\nGiven by the American Friends of the V&A through the generosity of Graham Howe\r\nMuseum nos. LOAN:AMERICANFRIENDS.720:43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 51, 52, 54, 56, 57, 59-2017\r\n","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null}}],"partNumbers":["PH.264-2021"],"accessionNumberNum":"264","accessionNumberPrefix":"PH","accessionYear":2021,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-08-21","recordCreationDate":"2018-03-14","availableToBook":false}}