{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1348953"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1348953/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2016JD9011/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2016JD9011/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2016JD9011","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1348953/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1348953","accessionNumber":"41701","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"Marble bust of the Emperor of Caligula","type":"generic title"},{"title":"Third series","type":"series title"}],"summaryDescription":"Photographs and photographers were present from the very beginning of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s history.   In 1852 the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A) became the first museum to collect photographs and in 1858 was the first to exhibit them. \n\nHenry Cole, the visionary founding Director of the Museum, saw early on the potential of photography to dramatically extend the visual range of resources available to artists and students and actively sourced photographs for this purpose, supplementing a variety of existing reprographic processes and formats.  The photographs, which were initially part of the collection of the National Art Library, were to be used by professors and students as well as by the officers of the various sections of the Museum.  \r\n\r\nOverlooked until now, female photographers were employed by and played an important role in the Museum’s mission to use photography for these administrative and educational purposes.  While the Museum had its own photographic service and photographers, including Isabel Agnes Cowper, it also sourced photographs from independent professionals, including those working abroad. Louise Laffon, the third female member of Le Société Française de la Photographie, produced a series of photographs of objects from the Campana Collection in the Musée Napoléon III in Paris (now the Louvre).  In 1864, the V&amp;A purchased 500 works from this series from Laffon through the agent Monsieur E. Cappe.  A few examples of Laffon's original gilded mounts survive.  These are of particular interest in that they highlight the way in which Laffon masked her gender, each mount bearing the gender-neutral stamp of 'L. Laffon' along with the name of her studio, 'Photographie Lord Byron' (a reference to the street on which her studio was located).    \r\n","physicalDescription":"Albumen print of a sculpture","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Laffon, Louise","id":"AUTH333624"},"association":{"text":"photographer","id":"x43821"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"photographic paper","id":"AAT14190"}],"techniques":[{"text":"albumen print","id":"AAT133274"},{"text":"photography","id":"AAT54225"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Albumen print ","categories":[{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"},{"text":"Sculpture","id":"THES48896"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2016JD9011"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"516","id":"THES49526"},"free":"","case":"511M","shelf":"676","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"photograph","id":"AAT46300"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Paris","id":"x29068"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1863-1864","earliest":"1863-01-01","latest":"1864-12-31"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Purchased from Monsieur E. Cappe, 28 June 1864","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"33","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"18/04/2016","earliest":"2016-04-18","latest":"2016-04-18"},"part":"dimensions of card mount","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"27","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"18/04/2016","earliest":"2016-04-18","latest":"2016-04-18"},"part":"dimensions of card mount","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"This is one of 500 albumen prints in several series originally purchased from the Parisian photographer Louise Laffon documenting architecture, sculpture,  ornamentation, terra cotta and marble from Le  Musee Napoleon III, originally part of the Campana Collection.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Photograph by Louise Laffon, Marble bust of the Emperor of Caligula, part of a series of photographs documenting works in the Musée Napoléon III, from the Campana Collection, albumen print, ca. 1864","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Sarti, Susanna. <u>Giovanni Pietro Campana, 1808-1880: the man and his collection</u>. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2001"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Longpérier, Henri Adrien Prévost de.  <u>Le Musée Napoléon III.  Architecture, Sculpture, Ornamentation, terres cuites et marbres de l'ex-collection Campana. Cent planches d'aprés les clichés photographiques de M. L. Laffon.  Lithophotographs et imprimées per M. Lemercier, accompagnées d'une introduction et de tables explicatives par A. de Longpérier.</u>  Paris:  1864.\r\n"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Laffon, L.  <u>Table de deux cents épreuves du Musée Napoléon III.  2ème et 3ème serie des épreuves</u>.  Paris:  1864."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[{"text":"Louvre (Paris)","id":"x35745"},{"text":"Musee Napoleon III","id":"THES271150"}],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[{"text":"Campana, Giampietro","id":"AUTH338459"}],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["41701"],"accessionNumberNum":"41701","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":null,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Campana Collection number","id":"THES271141"},"number":"6440"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-16","recordCreationDate":"2016-04-16","availableToBook":false}}