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Walter Bentley Woodbury (1834-1885) patented his Woodburytype process in 1864, as a means of mass producing photographic prints to be used in book illustrations and magazines. Woodbury was able to develop a process using non-light-sensitive materials to produce highly detailed prints which appear very similar to silver based photographs, but that do not fade over time. The quality of the pictures was remarkable, with no grain, and the process was widely used until the turn of the century. The process was expensive and later replaced by other processes, such as photogravure, collotype, and offset lithography.

The process for making a Woodburytype print was first to spread a thick layer of light sensitized gelatin mixed with carbon pigment onto a glass sheet. A photograph negative was then laid over it and exposed to light. After the exposure, it was washed and the unhardened (unexposed) gelatin washed away. This left a thick layer of gelatin in the darker areas and a thinner layer in the lighter areas of the image. This was hardened and dried before being put in a press with a lead sheet, to produce a matching indentation in the lead. A translucent mixture of pigments suspended in warm gelatin was poured onto this relief surface and this pigment layer was then transferred onto paper. The thick and thin areas of gelatin, along with the white of the paper produce a wide range of tones. The thickness and translucency of the pigment layer provides a kind of color that a conventional flat deposit of ink cannot achieve.

During the Victorian period, the stage produced celebrities similar to movie stars today. Americans had more leisure time and better standards of living, and they looked to the theater to provide entertainment. The expanding transportation system in the United States allowed actors and actresses to tour the country, bringing professional theater to many towns and cities that had never before experienced it. As the population of the country grew, the number of theaters in large and mid-size cities grew as well. Strongly influenced by London theater, America inherited the "star system" from Great Britain. Stock theater companies were established in large cities on the East Coast and in New Orleans. The cast was then supplemented by visiting theatrical stars, who toured the country. Stock companies were self-sufficient and mounted productions on their own when no star was visiting, but by the 1840s, so many stars were touring the United States that most companies were rarely without the services of at least one well-known actor or actress. Some of the most famous performers were Ellen Terry, Edward Terry, and Marion Terry, W. H. Kendal and Madge Robertson Kendal, Lillie Langtry, Helena Modjeska, Lillian Adelaide Neilson, J. L. Toole, and Violet Cameron.

The presentation album includes the Woodburytype prints that were originally released in a monthly magazine titled The Theatre: A Monthly Review and Magazine published by Wyman & Sons, London. This magazine produced articles regarding dramatic criticism, reviews of theatrical performances from around Europe and updates as to where popular actors and actresses were and what productions or companies they were currently involved in. The Woodburytype prints appeared in a segment titled "Portraits" that focused on individual actors and actresses and included a brief biography of the performer, their past repertoire and theatrical reviews. The presentation album pages have gold frames to highlight the picture and the inscription that are from various volumes and series of this magazine.