François Jourde, caissier, member of the Paris Commune, and Delegate for Finance, is depicted here in a bust-length portrait on an albumen silver carte-de-visite. The studio of E. Appert, a Parisian photographer accredited to the Tribunal de la Seine, produced the image, placing it firmly within the Appert brothers' specialization in portraiture of political figures across the spectrum, including deputies, senators, and magistrates. The reverse imprint dates the studio's tenure at 24, Rue Taitbout, Paris, to the period active through 1877, and the four silver-medal medallions marked 1853, 1855, 1859, and 1867 confirm a Second Empire or early Third Republic date of production.

The subject wears a dark military-style double-breasted tunic with paired rows of round buttons and visible shoulder epaulettes, a white shirt, and a dark cravat beneath a full beard and thick, curling dark hair shot through with grey. His gaze is directed slightly upward and to the left of the lens, lending the portrait a composed, authoritative bearing. The front of the card carries the imprint "THIÉBAULT, Bd BONNE NOUVELLE, 31," suggesting the card was commercially distributed or retailed through that address.

Jourde served as a delegate to the Central Committee of the National Guard and was elected to the Council of the Commune for the 5th arrondissement on March 26, 1871. Appointed Delegate for Finance, his scrupulous respect for the Bank of France earned him the resentment of many Communards, though he managed to pay the salaries of the National Guards; he was nonetheless arrested on May 30 and condemned in September 1871 to deportation to New Caledonia. He escaped in March 1874 alongside Paschal Grousset, Olivier Pain, and Henri Rochefort.

The reverse bears the full printed studio imprint: "PHOTOGRAPHE DU CORPS LÉGISLATIF / MÉDAILLES D'ARGENT / E. APPERT / PEINTRE PHOTOGRAPHE / DE S. M. LA REINE D'ESPAGNE / DE S. A. I. LE GRAND DUC CONSTANTIN / EXPERT PRÈS LE TRIBUNAL DE LA SEINE / 24, Rue Taitbout, 24. / AU 1ER ÉTAGE / Ci-devant, 21, Rue Louis-le-Grand / PARIS / PHOTOGRAPHE DE LA MAGISTRATURE" (Photographer to the Legislative Body / Silver Medals / E. Appert / Painter-Photographer / to H.M. the Queen of Spain / to H.I.H. Grand Duke Constantine / Expert to the Tribunal of the Seine / 24, Rue Taitbout, 24. / First Floor / Formerly 21, Rue Louis-le-Grand / Paris / Photographer to the Magistracy), along with the manuscript ink signature "Jourde" in a period hand.