Dracula author, Bram Stoker, pictured leaving Bradford theatre

The image shows Stoker, who wrote the famous Gothic horror story, holding an umbrella and leaving the Theatre Royal, Manningham Lane in 1905, the day after the death of Sir Henry Irving after he told the troupe at the theatre that they were sacked.

On October 13, 1905, aged 67, Irving was on tour in Bradford when he suffered a stroke on stage at the Theatre Royal. He was taken to the foyer of the Midland Hotel, where he died shortly afterwards. It was reported that his sudden death shocked and saddened the nation. A plaque at the hotel commemorates Irving's death.

Regarded as the greatest actor of his generation, Irving was the first actor to be awarded a knighthood.

The photograph featuring Bram Stoker holding an umbrella, centre

Stoker, Irving's manager, achieved fame by writing his classic novel and it is believed that he based much of Dracula's character on Irving.

Working in the Victorian era, Irving was known as an actor-manager because he supervised sets, lighting, direction, casting, as well as playing leading roles, season after season at London's Lyceum Theatre.

The image of Stoker is believed to have been taken by Percival Craig, an amateur photographer who also captured music hall performer Vesta Tilly at Ravenscliffe Golf Links.

The photograph continues to be in storage and there are no immediate plans to put it on display.

Sir Henry Irving

John Ashton, photo archive assistant at Bradford Industrial Museum, said: "It's a one-off picture really. It's very interesting.

"It's got a story that keeps on changing slightly.

"It shows Bram Stoker coming out of the theatre and towards the camera, but he is reasonably distant from it.

"Although we have a caption underneath the Bram Stoker picture, we can still do more detective work about it.

Henry Irving was the star at that time, he was like a Benedict Cumberbatch. It was really big news

"At the time the story was about Irving and Stoker was a minor figure. But if you mention the two names to people now, Stoker will be the one that people will have heard of.

Plaque to Sir Henry Irving at the Midland Hotel, Bradford

"The photo includes a horse with a cart going past and it's empty, which we found out means it had done all of its deliveries of beer in the morning that day.

"One of my former colleagues reckoned Stoker was coming out of the theatre after telling the rest of the troupe that they were sacked, as if you lose your star there is no point in carrying on.

"Most of the action when the photo was taken was back at the hotel, that's where the journalists were after Irving had died there.

Nobody is bothering Stoker in the picture, he is just walking across the road

Manningham Lane, 2020, the spot where the Theatre Royal once stood

It is interesting that Bram Stoker had this other life as a theatre impresario

"It's difficult to get across how famous a character Irving was. Most people will not know much about him. The picture is in storage, but we get it out for students to look at."