Guy Little Theatrical Photographs

The picture was created using the albumen printing process on a glass negative, a standard method for ‘cartes de visite’ and later ‘cabinet cards’. After exposure, the image was transferred onto paper coated with egg‑white and silver nitrate, then mounted on a stiff card bearing the photographer’s imprint.

Originally issued as part of a series of collectible portrait cards, the photograph was later removed from its original backing by Guy Tristram Little, a solicitor and avid collector of ephemera. Little re‑mounted the image in an album and, upon his death in 1953, bequeathed the collection to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

During the 1860s and 1870s, ‘cartes de visite’ became a social fad, with millions produced for personal exchange. They were eventually superseded by larger ‘cabinet cards’, which persisted until the rise of postcards in the 1890s. Such cards provided a new medium for actors to reach audiences beyond the theatre.

The photograph exemplifies the intersection of Victorian photographic technology and theatrical celebrity culture. As part of the V&A’s Theatre Collections, it offers researchers insight into the visual marketing of performers and the broader history of collectible portrait media.