In November 1922 Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, its contents largely intact. Carter realised that "the first and pressing need was for photography, for nothing could be touched until a complete photographic record had been made, a task involving technical skill of the highest order."[6] The Metropolitan Museum's excavation team, working nearby, readily agreed to Carter's request for the loan of Burton to formally photograph the findings of the British excavation at Tutankhamun's tomb.[7]