A young French military officer identified by inscription as Louis Rossel is the subject of this albumen carte-de-visite, produced at a studio on the Boulevard Montmartre in Paris and almost certainly dating to around 1870 or the early months of 1871. The sitter's dark uniform features a double row of bright white buttons down the chest and epaulettes at each shoulder, consistent with the dress of a French army officer of the period. The reverse bears a printed studio imprint reading "C W, [n]o. [1]9a Boulevard Montmartre" alongside the handwritten inscription "Rossel" in ink.

The subject gazes slightly to his left with a composed expression, his dark hair swept back and a full mustache framing his upper lip. The standing collar of his tunic closes high at the throat, and the cut of the coat, with its shaped cape-like overlay at the chest secured by the button row, marks him as a serving officer.

Louis-Nathaniel Rossel (1844–1871) was a French army colonel who, on 19 March 1871, became the only senior French officer to join the Paris Commune, serving as its Minister of War. He was arrested on 7 June 1871, condemned to death in the autumn, and executed by firing squad in November of that year.

The reverse is inscribed in ink "Rossel" above a printed blue studio imprint reading "C W, Boulevard Montmartre," Paris.