Julius Leth

Julius Leth didn’t leave a paper trail, but he had a nose for a good story. He spent his days photographing actors backstage, catching the messy truth behind the stage lights, sweat stains on a collar, a half-smoked cigarette, the real face beneath the greasepaint. His trick was timing: he’d click the shutter the instant the performer dropped the pose, when the mask slipped and the person showed up.

Hunt down a print of Guy Little Theatrical Photograph and you’ll see what he meant, look at the eyes, then look again.