Artwork
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph is a photographic photography by Aimee Dufont. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This 19th‑century photograph depicts the celebrated actress Minnie Maddern Fiske.
About this work
This photograph is from the 19th Century.
It shows Minnie Maddern Fiske, an actress, and was part of the Guy Little Collection.
The photograph was likely used as a 'carte de visite' or 'cabinet card', which were popular during the Victorian era for collecting portraits of famous people.
You can learn more about this type of photography by looking at the work of artist: Dufont, Aimee.
Overview
This 19th‑century photograph depicts the celebrated actress Minnie Maddern Fiske. It originates from the Guy Little Collection, a bequest to the Victoria and Albert Museum that includes a range of Victorian portrait cards. The image is an example of the small, collectible portrait formats that were popular in the late 1800s.
Subject & Meaning
Minnie Maddern Fiske was a leading figure on the English stage, known for her advocacy of naturalistic performance. Portraits such as this served both as personal mementos and as public promotion, allowing admirers to own a likeness of a favorite performer in a format that could be displayed or exchanged.
Technique & Style
The picture is an albumen print produced from a glass negative, a standard method for ‘cartes de visite’ and later ‘cabinet cards’. The process involved coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate, yielding a glossy surface and fine detail that captured the subject’s facial features and costume.
History & Provenance
Originally mounted on a stiff card bearing the photographer’s imprint, the card was later removed and bound into an album by Guy Tristram Little (d. 1953). Little, a solicitor and avid collector of photographic ephemera, donated the assembled album to the V&A, where it now resides.
Context
During the Victorian era, portrait cards became a social craze. Patented in 1854, ‘cartes de visite’ were exchanged like visiting cards, while the larger ‘cabinet cards’ of the 1870s offered a sturdier format. Both served as early forms of celebrity memorabilia, reflecting the growing public fascination with theatrical personalities.
Artist & collection
Artist
Aimee Dufont kept a tiny studio in Paris where she shot theater stars between rehearsals—no grand sets, just tight shots of costumes and half-lit faces.
