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Bas-relief portion of a frieze of a flying genie in terra cotta

Louise Laffon

1864

photographic

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century Putto

Dominant colour

Bas-relief portion of a frieze of a flying genie in terra cotta is a 1864 photographic by Louise Laffon, a Impressionism work, depicting Putto, 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 terra cotta bas-relief frieze shows a flying genie, carved in delicate detail. The work comes from 1863–1864, made by Louise Laffon, a French photographer and artist. A small putto figure appears in the scene, adding a playful touch. Laffon’s piece sits in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s early photography collection. The museum began collecting photos in 1852 and soon used them to help artists and students. This genie relief shows how photography and sculpture overlapped in that era. Check out more works by Louise Laffon next.

The story of this work

Overview

The Victoria and Albert Museum holds a terra cotta bas-relief portion of a frieze depicting a flying genie, created by photographer Louise Laffon in 1864. Part of a series of 100 albumen photographs of sculptures and antiquities from the Campana Collection in Paris, the image was acquired by the museum in four separate purchases totaling 500 prints. Laffon’s work was produced under the studio name *Photographie Lord Byron*, with mounts marked using the gender-neutral monogram *L. Laffon*. These photographs were originally intended for educational and reference use within the museum’s…

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