Sport & General Press Agency Ltd

This black-and-white press photo from 1938 shows puppeteers at the British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild’s big London show. It’s a snapshot of performers and their miniature stages, caught mid-applause. You can almost hear the wooden marionettes squeaking behind the grinning artists.

Tap the image to zoom in and count the tiny painted backdrops, each one a tiny world of its own.