{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1435935"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1435935/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2018LB8990/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2018LB8990/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2018LB8990","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1435935","accessionNumber":"PH.270-2021","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"Cleaners, 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 depicting six men cleaning a gallery floor of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The picture is taken from a direct vantage point into gallery, in the foreground water and soap can be seen on the mosaic tiling on the gallery floor. Four museum cases are in the picture, two symmetrically on each side of the photograph. In front of each case stands a cleaner, with a broom outstretched, one cleaner has his back to the camera, two are in profile and one on the right of the photograph faces the camera. All five cleaners wear white shirts, waist coats and trousers, the two cleaners on the left wear caps. In the centre of the photograph is the sixth cleaner he wears a dark suit and has his hands on a large barrell that holds water. In the background two archways can be seen that lead into further galleries. On either side are glass cases with artefactes in them. A large museum light can be seen top centre of teh photograph. On the reverse of the image is written 'Cleaning of Natural History Museum,' and the numbers '1355-1722' are crossed out and replaced with the numbers 19669-45.","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":["2018LB8990"],"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":"9.7","unit":"cm","qualifier":"Image","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"Image and sheet are the same size"},{"dimension":"Width","value":"7.3","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 Cleaners, 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.270-2021"],"accessionNumberNum":"270","accessionNumberPrefix":"PH","accessionYear":2021,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-08-21","recordCreationDate":"2018-03-16","availableToBook":false}}