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Bas-relief portion of frieze of nymphs 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 portion of frieze of nymphs 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

The story of this work

Overview

A terra cotta bas-relief fragment from the frieze depicts nymphs framed by ornate scrollwork, part of a series of albumen prints produced by Louise Laffon in 1864. The photographs document sculptures and decorative objects from the Campana Collection at the Musée Napoléon III in Paris, later acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum. Laffon’s images were issued with gilded mounts bearing the neutral signature “L. Laffon” and the studio name “Photographie Lord Byron.” The V&A ultimately purchased five hundred prints from her second series of one hundred albumen photographs.

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