Hercules and Dejanira statuette group in marble

Laffon’s photograph employs the albumen print process, common in mid-19th-century photographic documentation. The composition is carefully framed to highlight the sculptural form’s contours and surface texture, with even lighting minimizing shadows. The image’s clarity and detail reflect the technical precision required for scholarly use, prioritizing accuracy over artistic interpretation.

The statuette originated in the Campana Collection, assembled by Italian nobleman Giampietro Campana and later acquired by Napoleon III’s museum. In 1864, the V&A purchased 500 photographs of these objects through Parisian agent E. Cappe. Louise Laffon, one of the earliest professional female photographers in France, produced the series under commission, making her work a rare documented contribution to institutional photographic archives.

The V&A’s early adoption of photography aligned with its mission to support design education. By 1858, it was the first museum to exhibit photographs, and by the 1860s, it systematically collected images to supplement its teaching collection. Laffon’s photographs filled gaps in access to continental antiquities, enabling British students to study works otherwise inaccessible due to geography or political barriers.

Laffon’s contribution remains a significant but historically underrecognized part of the V&A’s photographic archive. Her work exemplifies how women operated in professional photographic roles during a period when their contributions were often uncredited. The 1864 acquisition marked a deliberate institutional strategy to use photography as a tool for global art education, shaping how museums would later approach visual documentation.