The emperor invariably chose to present himself either in military uniform, thus emphasizing his dynasty's past glories and his commitment to a belligerent foreign policy, or as a bourgeois pillar of probity, wearing that classless uniform of the Second Empire male, the frock coat.

Photographed by Mayer and Pierson of Paris.

The two society photographers Pierre Louis Pierson and Ernest Léopold Mayer were associated with one another during the 1860’s. The two men maintained separate establishments but issued their work jointly, under the name of ‘Mayer et Pierson’. According to the Getty website, the partnership continued until Pierson’s retirement in 1878, but Voignier has the partnership ending in 1864.