Tortoiseshell Cabinet, Palace of Necessidades, Lisbon
Photograph
1866 (photographed)
1866 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Sir Henry Cole, the first director of South Kensington Museum (now the V&A) understood the importance of photography as an extension of the resources of the Museum. He saw a role for photography in terms of documenting and promoting the Museum’s collection, as well as a tool for art education. In 1856, When Cole appointed his brother-in-law, Charles Thurston Thompson, as Museum Photographer, the first museum photographic service was born.
Under Cole’s direction, the Museum sourced photographs from a wide range of suppliers and sponsored photographic campaigns abroad. In 1866, Thurston Thompson traveled to Iberia armed with a registry of desirable items for photographing. Included among the list were objects from the collections of the Royal Palaces in Lisbon. The lack of contextuality of these photographs points to Thurston Thompson’s belief in his role as a documentary photographer.
Under Cole’s direction, the Museum sourced photographs from a wide range of suppliers and sponsored photographic campaigns abroad. In 1866, Thurston Thompson traveled to Iberia armed with a registry of desirable items for photographing. Included among the list were objects from the collections of the Royal Palaces in Lisbon. The lack of contextuality of these photographs points to Thurston Thompson’s belief in his role as a documentary photographer.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Tortoiseshell Cabinet, Palace of Necessidades, Lisbon (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print |
| Brief description | Photograph by Charles Thurston Thompson, Tortoiseshell Cabinet, Palace of Necessidades, Lisbon, albumen print, 1866 |
| Physical description | A mounted sepia-coloured photograph of a cabinet faced with decoration to replicate the facade of a building with columns, arched windows and sculptural figures. Bound in album with 80 other photographs, each with printed label. |
| Dimensions |
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| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | Sir Henry Cole, the first director of South Kensington Museum (now the V&A) understood the importance of photography as an extension of the resources of the Museum. He saw a role for photography in terms of documenting and promoting the Museum’s collection, as well as a tool for art education. In 1856, When Cole appointed his brother-in-law, Charles Thurston Thompson, as Museum Photographer, the first museum photographic service was born. Under Cole’s direction, the Museum sourced photographs from a wide range of suppliers and sponsored photographic campaigns abroad. In 1866, Thurston Thompson traveled to Iberia armed with a registry of desirable items for photographing. Included among the list were objects from the collections of the Royal Palaces in Lisbon. The lack of contextuality of these photographs points to Thurston Thompson’s belief in his role as a documentary photographer. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 58511 |
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| Record created | July 1, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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