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Bas-relief portion of friez of fleur de lys in terra cotta

Louise Laffon

1864

photographic

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century

Dominant colour

Bas-relief portion of friez of fleur de lys 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

Louise Laffon made a terra cotta photograph in 1863–64. It shows a frieze of fleurs-de-lys in low relief. The piece sits within Impressionist and Realist circles of the time. The Victoria and Albert Museum has collected photographs since 1852. It was the first museum to show them publicly, and Louise’s work fits right into that early display. If you like this mix of sculpture and photo, look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

A terra cotta bas-relief fragment featuring a fleur-de-lys motif was photographed by Louise Laffon in 1864 as part of a series documenting objects from the Campana Collection at the Musée Napoléon III in Paris. The Victoria and Albert Museum acquired 500 albumen prints from this series, including this example, which was produced in an edition of one hundred photographs depicting sculptures and decorative artworks in marble, terracotta, and bronze. Laffon’s work was distributed under the gender-neutral mark “L. Laffon” at her “Photographie Lord Byron” studio, reflecting her role within Le…

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