Artist

William Stuart Marshall

William Stuart Marshall is an artist. 1 work is cataloged here, principally at Victoria and Albert Museum.

William Stuart Marshall’s day job was running a shop called The Scottish Photographic Institution, but his real habit was sneaking behind the curtain of Edinburgh’s theaters at night. There, he’d snap pictures of actors mid-scene, then swap the backgrounds later, sometimes with a painted sunset or a fly-by-night moon. His “Guy Little” photograph feels like catching a ghost: the actor’s face lit sharp, the stage flat behind him, like he’s posing in two worlds at once.

Tap his “Guy Little” photo to see what theater looks like when the crowd’s gone and the spotlight stays on.

Works by William Stuart Marshall

Collections represented

Catalog records compiled from museum open-access collections; the artworks shown are in the public domain. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.