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Marble Bust of the Emperor Octavius Augustus

Louise Laffon

1864

photographic

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century

Dominant colour

Marble Bust of the Emperor Octavius Augustus 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 photograph from 1863-64. It’s a marble bust of Emperor Octavius Augustus. Louise Laffon, a French photographer, made it. The picture fits in two movements: Impressionism and Realism. The Victoria and Albert Museum holds it. The museum started collecting photos in 1852 and was the first to show them in 1858. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

The Victoria and Albert Museum acquired a set of 500 albumen photographs from Louise Laffon in 1864, including an image of a marble bust of Emperor Octavius Augustus. Laffon, one of the early female members of the Société Française de la Photographie, produced the series documenting sculptures from the Campana Collection at the Musée Napoléon III (now the Louvre). Her photographs were distributed with gender-neutral mounts marked "L. Laffon" and "Photographie Lord Byron," reflecting her studio’s location. The albumen prints served as visual references for artists, students, and museum staff.

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