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Guy Little Theatrical Photograph

C. D. Fredericks

1863

photographic

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century

Dominant colour

Guy Little Theatrical Photograph is a 1863 photographic by C. D. Fredericks, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: C. D. Fredericks
When & what style?: 1863 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This photo from 1863 shows actress Adah Isaacs Menken dressed as a French spy. C. D. Fredericks took it in a London studio. The picture is part of the early craze for actor portraits that fans collected like trading cards. Back then, “cartes de visite” were small photos on stiff card. They fit in albums and cost almost nothing. The trend lasted until the late 1870s. If you like early photography, look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

A sepia photograph depicts Adah Isaacs Menken in character as a French spy, produced by C. D. Fredericks in 1863. The image is an albumen print mounted on card, typical of the carte de visite format popular during the 1860s. It was later collected and preserved by Guy Tristram Little before being donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum. The photograph reflects the widespread practice of theatrical portraiture in Victorian-era photography.

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

Artist

C. D. Fredericks

C. D. Fredericks shot crisp black-and-white portraits of actors in the 1860s. Their cabinet cards—small, collectible photographs—show performers in costume with painted backdrops. The “Guy Little Theatrical Photograph”…

See the richer artist page