Artwork
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph is a photographic photography by Fradelle & Young. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The image is a 19th‑century photographic portrait of the actor Hermann Vezin, captured while he was in costume.
About this work
This photograph is from the 19th century. It's a work by Fradelle & Young.
The photo shows an actor, Hermann Vezin, in character. This type of photograph was popular during the Victorian era, with many actors having their pictures taken for "cartes de visite" or "cabinet cards".
You can learn more about the work of the photographer at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
The image is a 19th‑century photographic portrait of the actor Hermann Vezin, captured while he was in costume. Produced as an albumen print from a glass negative, the picture reflects the Victorian fascination with theatrical portraiture and the rise of photography as a means of documenting public figures.
Subject & Meaning
Vezin, a prominent stage performer of his time, is depicted in full character, illustrating how actors used photographic likenesses to promote their roles and maintain a visual record of their theatrical personas for admirers and collectors.
Technique & Style
The photograph belongs to the era of cartes de visite and cabinet cards, small card‑mounted prints made by exposing albumen‑coated paper to a glass negative. These cards were typically printed with the photographer’s name on the backing and were popular for their portability and ease of exchange.
History & Provenance
The print originated within a larger assemblage of cartes de visite and cabinet cards that were later removed from their original card backs and bound into albums by Guy Tristram Little (d. 1953). Little, a solicitor and avid collector of greeting cards and photographs, bequeathed the albums to the Victoria and Albert Museum, where they now form part of the museum’s theatre collection.
Context
During the 1860s the cartes de visite craze swept Britain, with millions produced for personal exchange. By the late 1870s they were superseded by larger cabinet cards, which in turn gave way to postcards and studio portraiture by the 1890s, marking the evolution of photographic media in the Victorian period.
Artist & collection
Artist
They ran a London studio where actors came to pose for photos that look like actors onstage, even though the sets were just painted backdrops and props.
