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 Windsor & Carter, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This is a photo of Sara Mellon taken in the 1800s. It’s one of those small portrait cards actors used to share with fans. Back then, most people collected these tiny photos the way we’d collect stickers today. These were called cartes de visite. They first appeared in the 1850s and soon became a huge fad. People swapped them like trading cards, and some even pasted them into albums. Look up Windsor & Carter next.
The photograph depicts Sara Mellon and was produced by Windsor & Carter around 1850 as part of the Victorian trend of theatrical portraiture. It is an albumen print from a glass negative, mounted on card with the photographer's name, typical of the period's "cartes de visite" format. The image belongs to a larger collection of such photographs assembled by Guy Tristram Little, which was later donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum. These small portraits, popular in the 1860s, were often collected alongside scenic views and other subjects before being replaced by larger "cabinet cards" in…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Windsor & Carter spent their days haunting London’s West End, snapping photos of actors in their dressing rooms instead of the usual stage shots.
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