Artwork
Figure of an angel on her knees in red terra cotta
Figure of an angel on her knees in red terra cotta is a photographic photography by the Impressionist artist Louise Laffon. It dates from 1864 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The image is a black‑and‑white photograph depicting a kneeling angel sculpted in red terra cotta.
About this work
The Victoria and Albert Museum holds this work as part of their early photography collection.
This photograph shows a figure of an angel kneeling on the ground. The artist used red terra cotta for the sculpture and captured it in a photograph.
This was made between 1863 and 1864 by Louise Laffon, a French photographer. The Victoria and Albert Museum holds this work as part of their early photography collection.
The museum began collecting photographs in 1852 and was the first to exhibit them.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
The image is a black‑and‑white photograph depicting a kneeling angel sculpted in red terra cotta. The figure rests on the ground, its posture suggesting devotion or supplication. The photograph is part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s early photography collection, attributed to French photographer Louise Laffon and dated to the period 1863–1864.
Subject & Meaning
The sculptural subject—a celestial being in a kneeling pose—conveys a sense of reverence, perhaps alluding to themes of prayer or intercession. The use of red terra cotta adds a warm, earthy tone to the figure, reinforcing its materiality while the angelic form introduces a spiritual dimension.
Technique & Style
Laffon captured the three‑dimensional terra cotta work using the wet‑plate collodion process, the dominant photographic method of the 1860s. The resulting image presents a high level of detail, rendering the texture of the clay and the subtle modeling of the figure’s drapery with clarity.
History & Provenance
In 1864 the Victoria and Albert Museum acquired a batch of five hundred photographs from Laffon through the dealer Monsieur E. Cappe. These prints were incorporated into the museum’s National Art Library holdings, where they served educational and reference purposes for artists and scholars.
Context
The V&A began collecting photographs in 1852, becoming the first institution to exhibit them publicly in 1858. Female photographers such as Laffon played a significant, though often overlooked, role in supplying images that supported the museum’s instructional mission, complementing its own in‑house photographic service.
Artist & collection
Artist
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.
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