A nice portrait of an officer of the Napoleonic "Garde Impériale". The older man wears the famous bearskin with the helm plate clearly visible. A gorget hangs around his neck. The man is decorated with a Légion d'Honneur medal.
The portrait reminds us of the beautiful veteran portraits in the Anne S.K. Brown collection. Although those photos were taken by another photographer: Erwin Hanfstaengl. It remains very rare to see men (veterans?) photographed wearing a Napoleonic uniform.

The albumen print was photographed by Jules Louis Bernard (1837-1896) and A. Nugues. Their address was 3, Place D'Armes in Valenciennes, France.
Jules Louis Bernard, son of the professor of Architecture at the Valenciennes academies Jean Baptiste Bernard and student of Henri Aubert Parent in Paris, settled in Valenciennes where he devoted himself to photography, reproducing many monuments and buildings of Valenciennes, the Inca festivals and other ceremonies, the old houses and the cemetery.

Albumen print mounted on original cardboard with the photographer's imprint. Overall good condition. Original retouching on the print.

Photo ca. 16,5 x 12,3 cm
Mount ca. 27 x 21,5 cm