Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
1866
photographic
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1866
photographic
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph is a 1866 photographic by Heath & Beau, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This is a Victorian-era photograph by the studio Heath & Beau. It shows actress Miss Elsworthy, part of a trend where performers sold collectible portraits. In the 1860s these small “cartes de visite” were everywhere—cheap, popular, and printed on stiff card. This one was made from a glass negative, the usual way back then. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more.
A sepia photograph of Miss Elsworthy, taken in 1866 by the studio Heath & Beau, features an oval-shaped image mounted on a card. The photograph is accompanied by a folded piece of card, and it is part of a larger collection of 19th-century photographs assembled by Guy Little, which was later donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Heath & Beau spent their nights backstage at London’s old Gaiety Theatre, snapping candid shots of actors mid-change—powder flying, stockings half on, a wig tossed aside.
See the richer artist page
