Artwork
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph is a photographic photography by Spencer. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This small portrait of actress Lydia Howard is an albumen print mounted on card, typical of the mid‑19th‑century "carte de visite" format.
About this work
Overview
This small portrait of actress Lydia Howard is an albumen print mounted on card, typical of the mid‑19th‑century "carte de visite" format. The image was produced from a glass negative and affixed to a stiff backing that bears the photographer’s name, functioning much like a visiting card for the sitter.
Subject & Meaning
Lydia Howard, a stage performer of the Victorian era, appears in her theatrical attire, reflecting the period’s practice of issuing portrait cards to fans. Such images served both as personal memorabilia and as promotional material, allowing admirers to collect likenesses of their favourite actors.
Technique & Style
The photograph is an albumen print, a process that used egg white to bind silver salts to paper, yielding a glossy surface and fine detail. Produced in the 1860s‑70s, the carte de visite measured roughly 5 × 7 cm and was printed from a glass plate negative, a standard method before the rise of gelatin silver paper.
History & Provenance
The card was part of a larger assemblage of cartes de visite and cabinet cards removed from their original backs and bound in albums by Guy Tristram Little (d. 1953). Little, a solicitor and collector of ephemera, bequeathed the albums to the Victoria and Albert Museum, where they now form part of the museum’s Theatre Collections.
Artist & collection
Artist
He spent his days behind a heavy glass plate camera, sleeves rolled up and breathing on the brass to fog the lens just right.
