Paul de Royer
(1808-1876)

Born in Versailles on 29 October 1808, Paul Ernest de Royer was a lawyer and politician. He was Minister of Justice for three months in 1851 and again from 1857 to 1859. He was also Président de la cour des comtes [President of the Court of Accounts] from 1863 to 1877.

Paul de Royer died in Paris on 13 December 1877.

One occasionally sees this sitter misidentified as [Alphonse] ‘de Royer, Directeur de l’Opéra’ and indeed, one of these two cartes has just such an inscription verso in a period hand. However, this sitter is included on Disdéri’s multiple portrait carte of French ministers, so is quite definitely Paul de Royer, the Minister of Justice.