Marble bust of Matidie

The subject is a marble bust of Matidie, though the photograph's primary purpose was educational rather than purely aesthetic, aligning with the Victoria and Albert Museum's goal of using photography as a resource for artists and students.

Laffon's technique in this photograph reflects both the realism required for documentary purposes and the emerging sensibilities of Impressionism, though specific stylistic innovations or deviations from standard photographic practices of the time are not immediately evident in this work.

Acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1864 as part of a larger purchase of 500 works from Laffon's series on the Campana Collection, facilitated by agent Monsieur E. Cappe. Laffon was a pioneering female photographer and the third female member of Le Société Française de la Photographie.

Commissioned as part of the museum's pioneering effort to collect and exhibit photographs (beginning in 1852, with the first exhibition in 1858), this work exemplifies the early recognition of photography's utility in art education and documentation.