Artwork
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph is a photographic photography by Unknown. It dates from 1910 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The image is a Victorian‑era photograph of the celebrated actress Ellen Terry, captured while she was on a lecture circuit.
About this work
Overview
The image is a Victorian‑era photograph of the celebrated actress Ellen Terry, captured while she was on a lecture circuit. She appears in a theatrical costume, presented in a pose typical of portraiture intended for personal distribution. The print belongs to the genre of small‑format portrait cards that were widely exchanged in the late nineteenth century.
Subject & Meaning
Ellen Terry, one of the era’s most prominent stage performers, is depicted in attire that references a specific role, underscoring the close link between her public persona and the theatrical characters she embodied. The portrait functions both as a personal likeness and as a promotional image, reinforcing her reputation among audiences who collected such cards.
Technique & Style
The photograph was produced as an albumen print from a glass negative, a standard process in Victorian photography. The image was mounted on a stiff card bearing the photographer’s imprint, a format known as a carte de visite or, later, a cabinet card. The tonal range is modest, with soft edges that convey a modestly formal yet approachable presence.
History & Provenance
The card originated in a substantial collection of cartes de visite and cabinet cards that were removed from their original backs and bound into albums by Guy Tristram Little, a solicitor and avid collector of ephemera. Upon his death in 1953, Little bequeathed the assembled albums to the Victoria and Albert Museum, where they now form part of the museum’s theatre photography holdings.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
