Paschal Grousset (1844–1909) was a French politician, journalist, translator, and science fiction writer, and this albumen carte-de-visite presents him as a young man of roughly his mid-twenties, consistent with the inscribed age notation on the reverse. In 1869 he began writing pro-revolutionary articles for the newspaper La Marseillaise, placing this portrait close to that pivotal period in his life. No photographer's imprint is visible on the mount.

He stands in three-quarter view with both hands thrust into the pockets of a dark wool sack coat worn over a matching waistcoat, a white shirt open at the collar, and a loosely knotted bow tie. His dark hair is swept back from a high forehead, and he wears a full beard and mustache that frame a direct, composed expression, consistent with the inscribed physical description noting dark hair, dark eyes, and a ruddy complexion.

Grousset was elected a member of the Paris Commune, serving on its executive committee as Delegate for External Affairs, and after its fall was arrested and deported to New Caledonia in 1872. He escaped, lived in Sydney, San Francisco, New York, and London, and returned to France after the 1880 amnesty, eventually becoming a Socialist Deputy for the 12th arrondissement of Paris in 1893. He also published fiction under the pseudonyms André Laurie, Philippe Daryl, Tiburce Moray, and Léopold Virey.

The reverse bears a handwritten inscription reading: "Grousset / Paschal / 25 à 28 ans / taille ordinaire / Cheveux noirs / Yeux noirs / teint coloré" (Grousset / Paschal / 25 to 28 years of age / ordinary height / black hair / black eyes / ruddy complexion).