Artwork
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph is a photographic photography by Ulrich Grob. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This photograph is part of a personal collection assembled by Guy Tristram Little, a solicitor and avid archivist of visual ephemera.
About this work
Overview
This photograph is part of a personal collection assembled by Guy Tristram Little, a solicitor and avid archivist of visual ephemera.
This photograph is part of a personal collection assembled by Guy Tristram Little, a solicitor and avid archivist of visual ephemera. It depicts Mlle. Alphonsine, a performer of the era, captured in a studio setting typical of 19th-century theatrical portraiture. The image was originally produced as a carte de visite or cabinet card — small, mass-produced albumen prints mounted on cardstock — and later removed from its original backing and preserved in one of Little’s bound albums.
Subject & Meaning
Mlle. Alphonsine, likely a stage actress, is portrayed either in costume or everyday attire, reflecting the common practice of capturing performers for public consumption. These images served as both personal mementos and cultural artifacts, allowing audiences to connect with performers beyond the theater. The photograph embodies the Victorian fascination with celebrity and the growing market for accessible, collectible imagery.
Technique & Style
The image was made using the albumen printing process, which involved coating paper with egg white and salt, then sensitizing it with silver nitrate. It was derived from a glass negative, a standard method before the rise of flexible film. The print was mounted on a stiff card, often bearing the photographer’s imprint, and designed for handling and display in private collections rather than public exhibition.
History & Provenance
The photograph was once part of a larger assemblage of theatrical portraits collected by Guy Little, who inherited and expanded upon the archive of Gabrielle Enthoven, a key figure in preserving British theater history. Little, who died in 1953, bequeathed his collection to the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it became foundational to the museum’s Theatre and Performance holdings.
Context
During the mid-to-late 19th century, cartes de visite and cabinet cards were ubiquitous, circulating widely as social currency. Actors and actresses were among the most popular subjects, alongside royalty and celebrities. The format’s popularity peaked in the 1860s and declined by the 1890s as postcards and newer photographic technologies replaced them, marking a shift in how the public engaged with visual culture.
Legacy
Little’s collection, preserved at the V&A, offers a rare, organized record of Victorian theatrical portraiture. By removing prints from their original mounts and rehousing them in albums, he created a curated archive that prioritizes preservation over commercial display. Today, these images serve as primary sources for understanding performance culture, public taste, and the material history of photography.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ulrich Grob left behind one known photograph: *Guy Little Theatrical Photograph*, shot in the 19th century.
