Jules Vallès (1832–1885), French journalist, author, and left-wing political activist, is portrayed here in a carte-de-visite albumen print dating to approximately the 1860s or early 1870s, consistent with the format's peak period and Vallès's most publicly active years. The mount carries no photographer's imprint, leaving the studio unattributed. The subject's strong, direct gaze and commanding physical presence give the portrait an intensity well suited to the man's reputation.

He is shown in a three-quarter bust view wearing a dark sack coat over a patterned waistcoat, with a white shirt collar open above a loosely knotted cravat bearing a small dot or pin pattern. His dark hair is swept back from the center part, and a full, dense beard covers his jaw and chin, lending him the distinctive bohemian appearance frequently noted in period descriptions.

Vallès founded Le Cri du Peuple in 1871, which became one of France's leading socialist newspapers, and he served as a member of the Paris Commune, sitting on its education commission. After the suppression of the Commune, he fled to England, returning to France following the amnesty of 1880, and his best-regarded work is the trilogy of autobiographical novels entitled Jacques Vingtras.

Inscribed in pencil on the reverse: "Jules Valles / French Journalist/Author," with a catalog notation "2/20/07 LDG HBZ" and initials "Eb" in the lower corners.