Artwork
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph is a photographic photography by london stereoscopic co. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This gelatin‑based photograph depicts Victorian actress Nellie Moore, captured by the London Stereoscopic Company in the mid‑19th century. The image is presented on a thin, glossy card typical of the carte de visite format, a small portrait that was widely exchanged as a collectible during the era.
Subject & Meaning
Nellie Moore, a stage performer of the Victorian period, appears in her theatrical attire, offering a glimpse of 19th‑century costume and the persona cultivated by actors for public consumption. The portrait functions both as a personal likeness and as a promotional image for audiences familiar with her theatrical work.
Technique & Style
The photograph was produced from a glass negative using the albumen process, wherein a silver‑salted paper was coated with egg white to create a glossy surface. The resulting print was then adhered to a stiff card bearing the photographer’s imprint, a common practice for cartes de visite before the rise of larger cabinet cards.
History & Provenance
Originally part of a larger assemblage of cartes de visite and cabinet cards, the image was removed from its original backing and mounted in an album by Guy Tristram Little (d. 1953). Little, a solicitor and avid collector of photographic ephemera, bequeathed his holdings to the Victoria and Albert Museum, where they now form part of the institution’s Theatre Collections.
Context
During the 1860s, cartes de visite became a fashionable hobby, with collectors swapping small portrait cards much like trading cards. Their popularity waned in the 1870s with the advent of larger cabinet cards, and later gave way to postcards and studio portraiture by the 1890s.
Artist & collection
Artist
The London Stereoscopic Company sent photographers across the city with twin-lens cameras that made single photos look like three-dimensional scenes.
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
A portrait of 'Mary Ann Cusk'
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
Mrs Alfred Wilsow
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph