Napoleon III, born Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte in Paris on April 20, 1808, is portrayed in this albumen carte-de-visite produced by W. & D. Downey, the celebrated Newcastle and London firm whose royal connections made them among the most prominent portrait photographers of the Victorian era. He served as president of the Second Republic of France from 1850 to 1852 and then as emperor of France from 1852 to 1870, making him the final emperor of France. The firm's Eldon Square, Newcastle address printed on the reverse places this CDV within a specific window of the studio's history.

The subject is shown in a three-quarter seated pose, leaning slightly forward with his right hand raised and bent at the chin in a pensive, commanding attitude. He wears a double-breasted dark frock coat with wide silk lapels, a matching waistcoat with visible buttons, and a large silk bow tie at the collar. A white pocket square is folded into the breast pocket, and his graying hair, waxed imperial mustache, and full chin beard are clearly rendered against the plain tonal backdrop.

W. & D. Downey opened their studio at 9 Eldon Square, Newcastle in 1863, the same year William set up a studio in the Houses of Parliament and produced portraits of every parliamentarian of the day. The studio received a Royal Warrant in 1879, and their imprint here as "Photographers to Her Majesty" reflects the firm's exceptional standing at the apex of Victorian portrait photography.

The reverse bears the printed imprint "W. & D. Downey, 9, Eldon Square, Newcastle on Tyne" and "London Studio, 61 Ebury St. Eaton Square," with the printed legend "Portraits taken by appointment" and the "Copyright" notice printed on the front recto beneath the image. Inscribed in pencil at the top of the reverse: "Emperor Napoleon III of France / 1808-1873." Additional pencil notations read "DAOCXZ" and "Eb."