Enamelled earthenware altar piece of Christ and Saint Francis and St. Rock

The altar piece unites three figures central to Catholic devotion: the crucified Christ, the patron saint of animals and the poor, Saint Francis, and Saint Roch, invoked against plague. Their juxtaposition reflects the Counter‑Reformation emphasis on intercessory saints and the liturgical function of the altar as a focal point for prayer and healing.

Laffon employed the wet‑collodion process, which allowed for fine detail and tonal range, essential for rendering the glossy enamel surface and the delicate modeling of the figures. The composition is centered, with balanced placement of the saints flanking Christ, emphasizing symmetry typical of 17th‑century altar designs.

The photograph entered the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection shortly after the institution began acquiring photographic material in the 1850s. In 1864 the museum purchased 500 prints from Laffon’s series of objects from the Campana Collection, acquiring them through the dealer E. Cappe. The image has remained in the museum’s photographic archive, serving as a reference for scholars.

Laffon was among the early women active in French photography and the third female member of the Société Française de la Photographie. Her work for the V&A illustrates how the museum leveraged photography to supplement traditional reproductions, providing artists, students, and curators with accurate visual documentation of foreign artworks.

The print exemplifies the museum’s 19th‑century strategy of using photography as an educational tool, a practice that broadened access to distant collections. Laffon’s contribution highlights the often‑overlooked role of women photographers in shaping museum documentation and the visual study of art objects.