{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1470588"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1470588/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2025PJ3694/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2025PJ3694/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2025PJ3694","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2019LK8869","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1470588","accessionNumber":"RPS.390-2019","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"The Menace of Our Time","type":"assigned by artist"}],"summaryDescription":"Cars often appear to have anthropomorphic qualities, but Dell carries this tendency further, arranging reflected fragments of a vehicle into a face with staring eyes and a gaping mouth. Dell had a varied photographic career, first exhibiting softfocus, pictorialist landscapes and later establishing himself as an architectural photographer. This refracted and inverted image stands out, however, recalling the ‘vortographs’ made by Alvin Langdon Coburn in around 1916 by photographing through a kaleidoscope-like arrangement of mirrors.","physicalDescription":"Photograph of a refracted and inverted image of a car on a street. Through this method, the car's front lights and bonnet give the appearance of a face with large eyes. ","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"dell","id":"AUTH342233"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"photographic paper","id":"AAT14190"}],"techniques":[{"text":"gelatin silver","id":"AAT139114"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Gelatin silver print","categories":[{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"},{"text":"Cars","id":"THES270092"},{"text":"The Royal Photographic Society","id":"THES281081"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"DOP","id":"THES291628"},"images":["2025PJ3694","2019LK8869"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLF","id":"THES49656"},"free":"","case":"MB004","shelf":"BY006","box":"XRP 165"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Photographs","id":"AAT46300"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"c.1935","earliest":"1930-01-01","latest":"1939-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"465","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"323","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Photograph by M. O. Dell, 'The Menace of Our Time, c.1935, gelatin silver print","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"cars","id":"AAT178739"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["RPS.390-2019"],"accessionNumberNum":"390","accessionNumberPrefix":"RPS","accessionYear":2019,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-03-26","recordCreationDate":"2019-01-23","availableToBook":false}}