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Bas-relief of a portion of a frieze depicting a palmetto and foliage in terra cotta

Louise Laffon

1864

photographic

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century

Dominant colour

Bas-relief of a portion of a frieze depicting a palmetto and foliage in terra cotta is a 1864 photographic by Louise Laffon, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Louise Laffon
When & what style?: 1864 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This photograph shows a small terra cotta relief carving of a palmetto plant and leaves. Louise Laffon made it between 1863 and 1864. It’s a quiet study of nature turned into an artwork. The Victoria and Albert Museum began collecting photographs in 1852. That made it the first museum to do so. They used these images to help artists and students see new ways of working. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

A bas-relief in terra cotta by Louise Laffon from 1864 depicts a palmetto and foliage, part of a larger frieze. The work was included in a series of one hundred albumen photographs documenting sculptures and terracottas from the Campana Collection at the Musée Napoléon III. The Victoria and Albert Museum acquired five hundred prints from this series in 1864 through the Parisian agent Monsieur E. Cappe. Surviving examples of Laffon’s original gilded mounts bear the gender-neutral stamp "L. Laffon" alongside the studio name "Photographie Lord Byron."

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

Artist

Louise Laffon

Louise Laffon (1828–1885), was a French photographer and painter. She was one of the first female professional photographers in France. She had a studio in Paris between 1859 and 1876.

See the richer artist page