Marble bust of the Emperor Tiberius

The photograph is an example of mid-19th-century photographic techniques. While specific details on the technique used by Louise Laffon are not provided, the image would have been produced using prevalent methods of the time, such as the wet collodion process, common for documentary photography.

Acquired by the V&A in 1864 from Louise Laffon via agent Monsieur E. Cappe, as part of a 500-work series from the Campana Collection. Laffon, a member of Le Société Française de la Photographie, was one of the female photographers contributing to the museum's early photographic collection.

Reflects the V&A's pioneering role in collecting and exhibiting photographs from its inception, under Director Henry Cole, who valued photography's potential for extending visual educational resources.

Contributes to the historical record of the Campana Collection and the development of museum photography. Also highlights the often-overlooked contribution of female photographers like Louise Laffon to early institutional photographic collections.