Marble bust of Septimus Severus

The bust presents the likeness of Septimius Severus, ruler of the Roman Empire from 193 to 211 CE, rendered in marble with typical imperial attributes. As a visual record, the photograph provides scholars with a precise reference to the sculpture’s condition and details, supporting studies of Roman portraiture and its reception in later collections.

Louise Laffon employed the wet‑collodion process, the dominant photographic method of the 1860s, to produce a sharply defined, tonal image on glass plate later transferred to paper. The composition centers the bust against a neutral background, emphasizing form and surface texture without decorative distraction.

The photograph entered the V&A’s holdings after the museum’s 1864 acquisition of 500 works from Laffon, purchased through the agent Monsieur E. Cappe. This purchase formed part of the museum’s early initiative, under founding director Henry Cole, to assemble photographic resources for educational use.

In the 1850s the V&A (then the South Kensington Museum) pioneered the systematic collection and exhibition of photographs, recognizing their value for artists and students. Female photographers such as Laffon and Isabel Agnes Cowper contributed significantly to this mission, supplying images of artworks from institutions across Europe.

The Laffon photograph exemplifies the museum’s 19th‑century strategy of using photography to broaden access to visual material. It also highlights the often‑overlooked role of women in early photographic practice, underscoring their impact on the documentation and study of historic art objects.