Guy Little Theatrical Photographs
1880
photographic
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1880
photographic
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Guy Little Theatrical Photographs is a 1880 photographic by Samuel Alex Walker, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This photograph is from 1880. It shows Nellie Farren as Ganem in The Forty Thieves. Photography was new and exciting back then, and actors often had photos taken for special cards. These cards, called 'cartes de visite' and 'cabinet cards', were popular collectibles. They usually had portraits or scenic views on them. You can learn more about this style by looking at the movement: Realism.
This sepia photograph depicts Nellie Farren in the role of Ganem in *The Forty Thieves* at the Gaiety Theatre. Produced as an albumen print on card, it belongs to a collection of 19th-century theatrical portraits assembled by Guy Little and later donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum. The image reflects the Victorian practice of issuing actor photographs as *cartes de visite* or *cabinet cards*, which were widely collected during the period. The photograph was removed from its original backing and mounted in an album before entering the museum’s holdings.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Samuel Walker spent his days tucked in the back rows of London theaters, not on stage but with a camera.
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