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Guy Little Theatrical Photograph

Alphonse Liebert

1867

photographic

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century

Dominant colour

Guy Little Theatrical Photograph is a 1867 photographic by Alphonse Liebert, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Alphonse Liebert
When & what style?: 1867 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This photo shows Adelina Patti, a famous opera singer. Taken about 1867, it captures her in a time when photos were new and exciting. Most actors posed in costumes or normal clothes for these early prints. The card style was called “cartes de visite.” These small photos were popular in the 1860s and sold in huge numbers. People collected them the way we might save pictures today. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum next.

The story of this work

Overview

This photograph by Alphonse Liebert depicts Adelina Patti and belongs to a large collection of 19th-century theatrical photographs assembled by Guy Tristram Little. The image is an albumen print from a glass negative, mounted on card as a carte de visite, a format patented in 1854 and widely produced during the 1860s. The collection was donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum in the early 20th century.

Read the full account in the museum source.