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Bas-relief portion of frieze with tritons 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 with tritons 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 photo shows a bas-relief frieze section with tritons in terra cotta from 1863-1864. It’s a quiet slice of art history—just one piece in a bigger scene. The Victoria and Albert Museum collected photos early. In the 1850s, they became the first to gather and show photographs, helping artists and students learn. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum next.

The story of this work

Overview

A terra cotta bas-relief portion of a frieze depicting tritons was photographed by Louise Laffon in 1864 as part of a series documenting sculptures from the Campana Collection at the Musée Napoléon III in Paris. The Victoria and Albert Museum acquired 500 albumen prints from Laffon’s series that year, including this photograph, through the agent Monsieur E. Cappe. Laffon’s original gilded mounts, bearing the gender-neutral stamp "L. Laffon" and the studio name "Photographie Lord Byron," remain in a few examples. The series was intended for educational and administrative use by artists,…

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