Artwork
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph is a photographic photography by London and Provincial Photographic Company. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This portrait depicts Alice Lingard, a Victorian-era actress, captured in a photographic format that was popular among performers of the period. The image originates from a set of small-format portraits that were originally mounted on cards and later compiled into an album by a noted collector.
Subject & Meaning
Alice Lingard appears in the photograph likely dressed in theatrical costume, reflecting the common practice of actors commissioning images that showcased their stage personas. Such portraits served both as personal memorabilia and as promotional material within the theatrical community.
Technique & Style
The picture is an albumen print produced from a glass negative, a standard method in the mid‑19th century. Initially affixed to a stiff card bearing the photographer’s imprint, the image would have been part of the ‘carte de visite’ format, a miniature portrait roughly the size of a visiting card.
History & Provenance
The photograph was part of a larger assemblage of cartes de visite and later cabinet cards that were removed from their original card backs and bound into albums by Guy Tristram Little, a solicitor and avid collector of ephemera. Upon his death in 1953, Little bequeathed the collection to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Context
During the Victorian era, photographic portraiture became a fashionable hobby, with cartes de visite proliferating in the 1860s and later evolving into larger cabinet cards. These formats allowed actors and other public figures to disseminate their likenesses widely, contributing to a burgeoning culture of visual celebrity.
Legacy
The album containing this image forms part of the V&A’s Theatre Collections, a repository that traces the visual history of British stagecraft. It illustrates the intersection of emerging photographic technology and theatrical self‑representation in the late 19th century.
Artist & collection
