Caldesi & Co.

These two ran a London photo studio packed with props, costumes, and top hats where actors stepped out of character long enough to pose. Their 1880s portraits capture Victorian performers mid-smile and mid-sigh, flecks of silver nitrate still clinging to the print like stage dust. You’ll recognize their work in the Guy Little collection, look for the striped blazer and pocket watch that tell a whole backstory without a word.