A bearded man in three-quarter view is the subject of this albumen silver carte-de-visite, produced by the Parisian studio of E. Appert and dateable to the 1860s or early 1870s on the basis of the mount style and imprint. Appert operated his Paris studio from 1862, first at 24 rue Taitbout and later at 21 rue Louis-le-Grand. The studio specialized as a portraitist of political personalities of every stripe, including sovereigns, nobles, deputies, senators, and magistrates.

The subject wears a dark frock coat over a buttoned waistcoat, with a large silk bow tie at the collar. His face is framed by a voluminous, curly dark beard and long, wavy hair brushed back from the forehead, and he wears wire-framed pince-nez spectacles perched on his nose. His gaze is directed slightly upward and to the right, lending the portrait an assertive, reflective quality. The composition follows Appert's signature approach: the sitter is posed on a simple chair before a plain, neutral background, stripped of any decorative setting.

Ernest Eugène Appert was a French photographer active in Paris whose career encompassed portraiture of the city's political and social elite. The studio's printed imprint reads "E. APPERT, PHOT. / Déposé." (E. Appert, Photographer / Registered) at the lower left, and "Reproduction / interdite." (Reproduction prohibited) at the lower right, a copyright notice consistent with Appert's known practice of registering his portraits for legal protection.

The reverse is inscribed in pencil at the upper left "Napoleon III ?" ("Napoleon III?") and at the lower center "DOLBZ" with the notation "11/12/06 misc." No photographer's address is printed on the reverse.