{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O82959"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O82959/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BC5546/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BC5546/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006BC5546","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London/John Thomson","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O82959/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O82959","accessionNumber":"PH.318-1982","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"Recruiting Sergeants at Westminster","type":"assigned by artist"}],"summaryDescription":"This photograph is from the series Street Life in London, first published in instalments in 1877-1878. The publication was one of the earliest social documentary photography projects. The people were posed by the photographer but the results were often naturalistic because of the authentic subjects and surroundings. John Thomson and the journalist Adolphe Smith wrote commentaries to accompany each image. Here they noted that the cavalry sergeants standing outside the pub were employed to 'cajole simple minded and ignorant youths' to join the infantry. They were paid for each man they enlisted. Between the heads of the sergeants is a policeman, stationed outside the pub to 'keep order'.","physicalDescription":"","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Thomson, John","id":"A8914"},"association":{"text":"photographer","id":"AAT25687"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"Woodburytype","categories":[{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"},{"text":"Scotland","id":"THES262877"},{"text":"Europeana Fashion Project","id":"THES265804"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2006BC5546"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLF","id":"THES49656"},"free":"","case":"TOPIC","shelf":"10A","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"photograph","id":"AAT46300"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1877","earliest":"1877-01-01","latest":"1877-12-31"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"11","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"9","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"19thC; Thomson John, Sergeants,Street life in London","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Gallery 100 ‘A History of Photography’, 2014-2015, label text:\r\n\r\nJohn Thomson (1837–1921)\r\n‘Recruiting Sergeants at Westminster’, ‘Cast Iron Billy’, ‘Mush-Fakers and Ginger-Beer Makers’, ‘Covent Garden Flower Women’\r\nFrom the series ‘Street Life in London’\r\n1876–77\n\r\nThese are some of the earliest examples of social documentary photography. The figures were posed by Thomson to form interesting compositions. These included the omnibus driver ‘Cast Iron Billy’, sergeants waiting outside a pub to enlist potential army recruits and the ‘mush-faker’, who sold used umbrellas. \n\r\nWoodburytypes\r\nGiven by Mrs D. Crisp\r\nMuseum nos. Ph.318, 337, 342, 317-1982\r\n","date":{"text":"06 03 2014","earliest":"2014-03-06","latest":"2014-03-06"}}],"partNumbers":["PH.318-1982"],"accessionNumberNum":"318","accessionNumberPrefix":"PH","accessionYear":1982,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-12","recordCreationDate":"2003-07-30","availableToBook":false}}