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Bas-relief of a portion of frieze of Eros with scrollwork 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 frieze of Eros with scrollwork 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 is a small terra cotta bas-relief by Louise Laffon from 1863–64. It shows part of a frieze with Eros and scrollwork—classical themes in a new medium. Photography was brand new then, and museums hadn’t quite figured out how to use it. Laffon’s work helped change that, adding images to teaching collections. Check out another early photo by Laffon, Louise at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

A terra cotta bas-relief by Louise Laffon from 1864 depicts a portion of a frieze featuring Eros surrounded by scrollwork. The work was part of a series of 100 albumen photographs documenting sculptures from the Campana Collection at the Musée Napoléon III in Paris. The Victoria and Albert Museum acquired 500 prints from Laffon’s series in 1864 through an agent, with some of the original gilded mounts bearing the gender-neutral stamp "L. Laffon" and 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