The Hippopotamus at the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park
1852
Medium
Salted paper print from glass negative
Dimensions
Image: 11.1 × 12 cm (4 3/8 × 4 3/4 in.) Mount: 43.8 × 30.5 cm (17 1/4 × 12 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Purchase, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee Gift, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1852, Spanish nobleman Juan de Borbón *The Hippopotamus at Zoological Gardens, Regent Park*, a pioneering salted paper print made from a glass negative. intimate 11.1 × 12 cm image depicts a massive hippopotamus in London's famed Regent's Park Zoo—opened in 1828 as a hub for scientific study and public spectacle—surrounded by curious men and women gazing at the exotic beast. De Borbón, a pretender to the Spanish throne avid early photographer, documented this slice of Victorian life during a time when zoos symbolized imperial exploration and the wonders of the natural world transported from...