Exterior view of the South Kensington Museum (the 'Brompton Boilers') under construction with B.L. Spackman in the foreground [?] thumbnail 1
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Exterior view of the South Kensington Museum (the 'Brompton Boilers') under construction with B.L. Spackman in the foreground [?]

Photograph
1856 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Photographs and photographers were present from the very beginning of the V&A's history and the Museum has an extensive collection of images from the 1850s through to the present which documents the construction and development of the V&A and the South Kensington site.

Originally collected by the National Art Library as part of a programme to record works of art, architecture and design in the interest of public education, these topographic and architectural views were valued as records and as source material for students of architecture and design. As well as being crucial records of the history of the V&A, and an important element within the National Art Library's visual encyclopaedia, these photographs are also significant artefacts in the history of the art of photography.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleExterior view of the South Kensington Museum (the 'Brompton Boilers') under construction with B.L. Spackman in the foreground [?] (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Albumen print
Brief description
Mounted albumen print, exterior view, South Kensington Museum (the 'Brompton Boilers') under construction, Lance Corporal B. L. Spackman, 1856
Physical description
A mounted albumen print of a building surrounded by scaffolding and construction material. Only the framework of the construciton is completed. A man in a top hat is in the foreground while four workers are visible in the upper level of the framework.
Dimensions
  • Image height: 18.6cm
  • Image width: 23.2cm
  • Mount height: 21.8cm
  • Mount width: 25.0cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'England & Wales IIa South Kensington Victoria and Albert Museum [cut off] Museum Building (April 7th, 1856) Lce Corp. B.L. Spackman R.S.M. [Royal Sappers and Miners]
    Transliteration
    ink, mount
  • library stamp
    Transliteration
    blindstamp, partial, upper centre mount
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Summary
Photographs and photographers were present from the very beginning of the V&A's history and the Museum has an extensive collection of images from the 1850s through to the present which documents the construction and development of the V&A and the South Kensington site.

Originally collected by the National Art Library as part of a programme to record works of art, architecture and design in the interest of public education, these topographic and architectural views were valued as records and as source material for students of architecture and design. As well as being crucial records of the history of the V&A, and an important element within the National Art Library's visual encyclopaedia, these photographs are also significant artefacts in the history of the art of photography.
Other number
GX4084 (MA/32/465) - Negative number (V&A Archive Guard Book reference)
Collection
Accession number
34967

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Record createdJuly 1, 2009
Record URL
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