Napoléon Gaillard, known as Gaillard père, sits for this carte de visite portrait identifying him by his inscribed role as the Paris Commune’s chief of barricades. A Parisian cobbler by trade, Gaillard rose to prominence during the 1870-71 Siege of Paris and was named director general of barricades by War Delegate Louis Rossel on April 30, 1871. The albumen print was produced by Eugène Thiébault’s Paris studio at 31 Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle.

Gaillard appears bust length in the dark tunic and wide lapels of his command uniform, a row of buttons visible down the front and shoulder straps denoting his rank. His curling hair and full beard frame an intent, direct gaze toward the camera. A dark cravat shows at the open collar beneath the coat.

As director general of the barricades and commander of the Commune’s special battalion of barricadiers, Gaillard oversaw construction of the city’s defensive works, including the elaborate fortification at the junction of Rue de Rivoli and Rue Saint-Florentin nicknamed the Château-Gaillard. He resigned the post on May 15, 1871, days before the Commune’s suppression, and fled to Geneva.

The reverse is inscribed in pencil, “Gaillard père / chef des barricades,” and carries the printed studio imprint “Photographie Thiébault, 31 Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, 31, en face le théâtre du Gymnase, Bacard Fils, Gendre & Successeur.”