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Bas-relief portion of frieze, Bust of Ceres and ears of corn, 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 frieze, Bust of Ceres and ears of corn, 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 photo of a terra cotta bas-relief. It shows a bust of Ceres and ears of corn. Louise Laffon made it between 1863 and 1864. Photography was new and rare in museums back then. The Victoria and Albert Museum started collecting photos in 1852. They used images like this to teach artists and students. Check out Laffon, Louise.

The story of this work

Overview

A terra cotta bas-relief from a frieze depicts a bust of Ceres accompanied by ears of corn, created by Louise Laffon in 1864. The work is part of a series of 100 albumen photographs documenting sculptures and terracottas from the Campana Collection at the Musée Napoléon III in Paris. The Victoria and Albert Museum acquired 500 prints from this series in 1864 through the agent Monsieur E. Cappe. Surviving examples of Laffon’s original gilded mounts bear the gender-neutral stamp "L. Laffon" and reference her studio, "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