Guy Little Theatrical Photograph

The portrait was produced as an albumen print from a glass negative, a standard process for ‘cartes de visite’ and later ‘cabinet cards’. These prints were mounted on stiff card stock bearing the photographer’s imprint, a format that facilitated easy exchange and collection.

Originally part of a larger set of cartes de visite and cabinet cards, the photograph was removed from its original backing and placed in an album by Guy Tristram Little (d. 1953). Little, a solicitor and avid collector of greeting cards, games, and photographs, bequeathed his assemblage to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

During the 1860s, cartes de visite—small visiting‑card‑sized photographs—became a fashionable collectible, later supplanted by larger cabinet cards in the 1870s. Both formats served as early forms of mass‑produced portraiture, capturing actors, scenic views, and artworks for a broad audience.