Statuettes were an ideal subject for Talbot to photograph. As inanimate objects they couls remain motionless regardless of how long the photographic exposure was.
All of the statuettes brought together for this composition can be seen elsewhere in Talbot's photographs, either on their own, or combined with other objects. The top shelf holds a bust of Hermes, the Laocoon, a Neoclassical bust of a man, and a bust of the poet Matthew Prior.
The bottom shelf holds a bust of Venus (now known to be a bust of Susanna after du Quesnoy), "Eve at the Fountain" by Baily, and a bust of Napolean.
