Guy Little Theatrical Photograph
1850
photographic
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1850
photographic
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Guy Little Theatrical Photograph is a 1850 photographic by Edward Smith, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This is a 19th-century photograph of actress Emma Broughton. It was made by Edward Smith using an early technique. Albumen prints came from glass negatives stuck to stiff card. Photography was brand new in Victorian times. Actors paid for these small photos to hand out or collect. They called them “cartes de visite,” the size of regular visiting cards. Look up Victoria and Albert Museum next.
This photograph by Edward Smith from around 1850 depicts Emma Broughton, an actor or actress, in a studio portrait typical of the Victorian era. Produced as an albumen print from a glass negative, the image is mounted on a card backing bearing the photographer's name, consistent with the popular "cartes de visite" format introduced in 1854. The photograph is part of a larger collection of theatrical photographs assembled by Guy Tristram Little, who later donated it to the Victoria and Albert Museum. The collection includes both "cartes de visite" and larger "cabinet cards," which were widely…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Edward Smith spent his days behind a camera in late-1800s London, chasing the flicker of footlights instead of mountain peaks.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
