What is the background of Relander's painting Play?

Oscar Gustav Rejlander (1813 ~ 1875), a British photographer, was originally from Sweden and was educated in Rome in his youth. He used to be a painter, but after he settled in England in the mid-19th century, he turned to photography. Like many painters at that time, Relander thought that the only way to enhance the artistry of photography was to imitate painting. In 1855, Relander took the work Play, which was a stage-style lyric photo taken at the mercy of the studio. In the photo, an old man and a child are playing together, and the picture is very poetic. Before shooting. Relander chose two suitable models to play the elderly and children, and trained and rehearsed them, so that they could stay still and make proper expressions during the long exposure. In the foreground of the photo, Relander also arranged some books and a fake dog to increase the artistry of the picture. This photo, which was highly praised at that time, was called "art photo".