H. Lehmann & Co

H. Lehmann & Co. spent the 1880s turning actors into tiny living shadows behind glass. They ran a studio in London where every sitter posed for the same stiff-backed portrait, but the real trick was the backdrop: a painted stage set with a recognizable London street corner that made the photos feel like a play you’d just missed. Grab the Guy Little photo and zoom in—you’ll see the actor’s cufflinks catch the light, even though the rest of him is half swallowed by stage paint.