W.A.H. Fry

W.A.H. Fry spent his days chasing the fleeting magic of the stage, snapping photos backstage in gaslit theaters where actors still powdered their noses between scenes. He caught those private, unguarded moments—curlers in hair, half-applied makeup—when the costumes weren’t on and the spotlight wasn’t blinding. The Guy Little Theatrical Photograph, one of his best, freezes a starlet mid-laugh, the real her behind the role. Look for it: it’s the one that makes you forget you’re looking at a photograph.