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Marble portion of a sacophagus ornamented with bas-relief foliage

Louise Laffon

1864

photographic

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century

Dominant colour

Marble portion of a sacophagus ornamented with bas-relief foliage 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

Louise Laffon made a photograph in 1863–64 of carved marble on a sarcophagus. The stone shows leafy patterns in low relief, captured on film. Her image sits inside London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. The museum began collecting photos in the 1850s to help artists study details. Henry Cole, its first director, pushed to add these images early. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum next.

The story of this work

Overview

The marble portion of a sarcophagus decorated with bas-relief foliage is among 500 albumen prints purchased in 1864 from Parisian photographer Louise Laffon, documenting sculpture and ornamentation from the Campana Collection at the Musée Napoléon III. The series, acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum, includes architectural and sculptural details rendered in photographs produced by Laffon’s studio, identified by the gender-neutral mark "L. Laffon" and the address "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