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Victorian Portraits Revived by Disability Theatre Group
2 Dec, 2025
Summary
- A disability theatre group is recreating 1800s Victorian tintype portraits.
- The technique mirrors photos found from old mental health hospitals.
- The project collaborates with Surrey History Centre and King's College London.
A unique artistic initiative is underway in Leatherhead, Surrey, where the Freewheelers disability theatre group is breathing new life into Victorian photographic methods. They are recreating portrait techniques historically used in 1800s medical casebooks, employing the distinct tintype process which produces images on glass or metal.
This artistic choice is deeply rooted in history, as the same technique was utilized in various mental health hospitals across the county. Notably, the Surrey History Centre uncovered containers filled with glass plate negatives of patients from the Manor Hospital in 1990, offering a direct link to this past practice.
Following a successful project in 2023, Freewheelers is now expanding its efforts. They are collaborating with the Surrey History Centre in Woking and King's College London to meticulously recreate 35 more images, ensuring these historical artistic techniques and their context are brought into the present.
