Artwork
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph is a photographic photography by Henry Mullius. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This portrait depicts Fanny Hunt, a Victorian-era actress, captured in a photographic format typical of the period.
About this work
Overview
This portrait depicts Fanny Hunt, a Victorian-era actress, captured in a photographic format typical of the period. The image is a black‑and‑white print produced from a glass negative, later mounted on a card. It forms part of a larger assemblage of 19th‑century portrait cards that were once affixed to their original backs.
Subject & Meaning
Fanny Hunt appears in either everyday attire or theatrical costume, reflecting the dual role of performers who often commissioned images for personal and promotional use. Such portraits served both as personal mementos and as visual advertisements for the stage, allowing audiences to recognize actors beyond the theatre.
Technique & Style
The photograph is an albumen print, a process that involved coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate to create a glossy surface. Produced from a glass plate negative, the image would have been printed on card stock bearing the photographer’s imprint, a common practice for cartes de visite and later cabinet cards.
History & Provenance
Originally issued as a carte de visite—a small visiting‑card‑sized portrait popular from the 1860s—the image later entered a collection of similar cards removed from their backs and bound in albums by Guy Tristram Little (d. 1953). Little, a solicitor and avid collector of ephemera, bequeathed the assembled albums to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Context
During the Victorian era, photography emerged as a novel medium for documenting public figures. The carte de visite, patented in 1854, sparked a craze for collecting portrait cards, which evolved into larger cabinet cards in the 1870s before being supplanted by postcards in the 1890s. Actors like Hunt participated in this trend, providing fans with portable images.
Artist & collection
Artist
Henry Mullius spent his days backstage at London theaters, where he snapped candid photos of actors between scenes.
