Fragment of a marble statue of Baccus
1864
photographic
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1864
photographic
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Fragment of a marble statue of Baccus is a 1864 photographic by Louise Laffon, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This is a photograph from 1863–64 showing a fragment of a marble statue of Bacchus. It’s one of the earliest museum photos ever collected. The Victoria and Albert Museum started exhibiting photographs in 1858, seeing them as tools for artists and students. The picture shows a small piece of ancient sculpture, not a full figure. Museums used early photos like this to study art long before digital images existed. Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more of their early photo collection.
The image is an albumen print from 1864 by Louise Laffon, documenting a fragment of a marble statue of Bacchus from the Campana Collection at the Musée Napoléon III in Paris. It was one of 500 photographs purchased by the Victoria and Albert Museum from Laffon through an agent that year. The print features a gilded mount bearing the gender-neutral stamp "L. Laffon" along with her studio name, "Photographie Lord Byron." The photograph is part of a series documenting architecture, sculpture, and decorative arts from the collection.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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
