Guy Little Theatrical Photograph

Ellen Terry, the subject, was a celebrated actress of her time. The photograph, typical of its kind, served as a collectible portrait for theatre enthusiasts, allowing fans to own and trade images of popular performers.

The image is an albumen print from a glass negative, mounted on stiff card with the studio's details printed on it. The technique and format were standard for 'cartes de visite', characterized by their small size and practicality for collection.

Gabrielle Enthoven, whose theatrical collection laid the foundation for the V&A's Theatre Collections.

Originally part of a large collection of 'cartes de visite' and 'cabinet cards' amassed by Guy Tristram Little, the photograph was later bequeathed to the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) as part of Little's estate. Little, a collector and solicitor, had a connection to the V&A through his work with Mrs. Gabrielle Enthoven, whose theatrical collection laid the foundation for the V&A's Theatre Collections.

Created during the late 19th century, this 'carte de visite' reflects the brief popularity of these small photographic cards (patented in 1854, popular in the 1860s) before they were largely supplanted by 'cabinet cards' in the late 1870s and eventually by postcards and studio portraits in the 1890s.

While 'cartes de visite' like this one were once highly collectible, their legacy today lies more in the historical insight they provide into Victorian popular culture and the early adoption of photography for mass dissemination of images, rather than their original function as collectibles.