Harry Burton took this photograph shortly after Tutankhamun's inner coffin had been revealed and then moved from the burial chamber into the antechamber of the king's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor in Egypt. The surface of the solid gold coffin was made dark by the solidified remains of unguent poured liberally over the coffin during the funerary rituals. Primarily created for the media, Burton's shot captures the royal burial's solemnity while indicating the archaeologist's laborious work. The camera lens focuses on Howard Carter's hand as he poses while removing the hardened unguent, and the Egyptian team member assists with a brush. The archaeologist's tools are conspicuously laid out on the wooden pallet for the viewer's benefit, suggesting the scientific nature of the examination.