A three-quarter-length studio portrait of a bearded French officer in full dress uniform, produced as a carte-de-visite at the Parisian studio of Thiébault, carried on from 1868 by Paul Bacard under the imprint "Bacard Fils, Gendre & Successeur." The double-breasted dark tunic bears two rows of brass buttons, and the sleeve cuffs are trimmed with gold braid indicating officer's rank, consistent with French military dress of the late Second Empire or early Third Republic period.

The subject stands at a slight three-quarter turn, resting his left hand on a draped studio prop, his gaze directed upward and to the right. He wears a peaked képi with a central stripe, a full trimmed beard and curling side hair, and carries an ornate officer's saber at his hip, its decorated guard and knuckle bow clearly visible. A cravat is visible beneath the tunic's standing collar.

Eugène Thiébault owned and operated the studio at 31 Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, Paris. In 1868 his son-in-law Paul Bacard took over the premises and signed photographs under the imprint "Maison Thiébault, Bacard Fils successeur." Like his father-in-law before him, Bacard Fils photographed numerous celebrities, including Communards and leading political figures of the period.

Inscribed in pencil on the reverse: "French General Napoleon Louis Gillard / 1815–1902 / Involved in Paris Commune." The studio imprint on the reverse reads: "Photographie Thiébault / 31 Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, 31 / en face le Théâtre du Gymnase / Bacard Fils / Gendre & Successeur" (Photography Thiébault / 31 Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, 31 / opposite the Théâtre du Gymnase / Bacard Fils / Son-in-law & Successor). A catalog notation at the lower left reads "2/28/07," with alphanumeric code "L0HIXZ" and initial "Eb" at the lower right.