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Marble Bust of the Emperor Nero when a child

Louise Laffon

1864

photographic

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century Putto

Dominant colour

Marble Bust of the Emperor Nero when a child is a 1864 photographic by Louise Laffon, a Impressionism work, depicting Putto, 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 photograph shows a marble bust of the emperor Nero as a child. It’s rendered as a putto, a classic cherubic figure. The artist Louise Laffon took the shot between 1863 and 1864. It’s a rare early photo where a sculpture becomes a playful child. The work sits inside the Victoria and Albert Museum’s historic photography collection. Look up the artist Louise Laffon next.

The story of this work

Overview

A photograph of a marble bust of the Emperor Nero as a child is part of a series of 100 albumen prints produced by Louise Laffon in 1864, documenting sculptures from the Campana Collection at the Musée Napoléon III. The Victoria and Albert Museum acquired 500 works from this series through the Parisian agent Monsieur E. Cappe. Laffon’s images were intended for educational use by artists and students, supplementing the museum’s reprographic resources. Surviving examples of her original gilded mounts bear the gender-neutral stamp "L. Laffon" and the studio name "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