Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809–1865), French socialist, philosopher, economist, and founder of mutualist philosophy, was the first person to declare himself an anarchist and is widely regarded as one of anarchism's most influential theorists. This albumen carte-de-visite portrait was produced by Charles Reutlinger at his celebrated studio at 21, Boulevard Montmartre, Paris, almost certainly before Proudhon's death in January 1865, given that the reverse imprint reflects the studio's post-1867 award typography, suggesting the print itself may date from shortly after, struck from an earlier negative.

Proudhon is shown in a three-quarter vignette, his chin resting on both hands clasped over the handle of a walking stick, his gaze directed slightly downward with an expression of concentrated intensity. He wears a dark coat and a full, unkempt beard streaked with gray, and a pair of wire-rimmed oval spectacles sits low on his nose. His hair is long and disheveled, swept back from a broad, balding forehead.

Proudhon's best-known assertion, "property is theft!," appeared in his first major work, "What Is Property?" He became a member of the French Parliament after the Revolution of 1848. Reutlinger's portraits won prestigious awards in Berlin, Hamburg, and at the Paris World Exhibition.

The reverse bears the printed studio imprint "Ch. Reutlinger, Photographe, 21, Boulevard Montmartre, 21, Paris," with the legend "Premier Prix, Exposition Universelle 1867," flanked by award medallions for Paris 1867, Berlin 1866, and Hamburg 1868, and printed mottos "Déposé" and "Garanti d'apres nature" (Deposited / Guaranteed from nature). Inscribed in pencil above the imprint: "Proudhon / Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809–1865) / French socialist anarchist and Philosopher / 'Property is theft'"; additional pencil notations read "4/26/07" and "DOGIEZ."