Artwork
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph is a photographic photography by Lambert Weston & Son. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This studio portrait captures the Victorian actor Alfred Vance, known as “The Great Vance,” in full theatrical costume.
About this work
Overview
This studio portrait captures the Victorian actor Alfred Vance, known as “The Great Vance,” in full theatrical costume. Produced as an albumen print from a glass negative, the image exemplifies the small-format portraiture that circulated widely among the public during the late nineteenth century.
Subject & Meaning
Vance is presented in the role that defined his public persona, allowing viewers to recognize the performer both onstage and in the emerging medium of photography. The portrait served as a visual reminder of his theatrical identity, reinforcing his celebrity status among admirers who collected such likenesses.
Technique & Style
The photograph is an albumen print, a process that involved coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate before exposing it to a glass negative. Printed on a stiff card bearing the photographer’s imprint, the image reflects the crisp detail and tonal range typical of mid‑Victorian studio work.
History & Provenance
Originally issued as a carte de visite and later as a cabinet card, the print was removed from its original backing and mounted in an album assembled by Guy Tristram Little (d. 1953). Little, a solicitor and avid collector of ephemera, bequeathed the assembled collection to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Context
During the 1860s and 1870s, cartes de visite became fashionable collectibles, akin to trading cards, allowing the public to amass portraits of notable figures, including actors. By the late 1870s larger cabinet cards supplanted them, before postcards and studio portraits dominated the market in the 1890s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Lambert Weston & Son spent their days hauling glass plates and tripods around London, shooting actors in full costume backstage.
