Blanford & Co. Caldesi

They ran a London studio where actors struck poses longer than they held them onstage, because in the 1860s a sharp photograph sold better than a blurry one. They’d drape velvet behind a sitter, adjust the head-clamp, and count to twenty while the magnesium flare did its flash, then hand the actor a print they could mail to fans. Their portraits let Victorian celebrities look human instead of heroic.

Try their Guy Little Theatrical Photograph; you’ll spot the mole on Mrs. Kendal’s cheek and the crease in Beerbohm Tree’s collar.